The legal age limit is 21 forpurchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco productsin the U.S. ## Chemicals in Cigarettes
Air tainted with cigarette smoke is dangerous for anyone who breathes it.
These are the chemicals that you are exposed to in cigarette smoke.
Carcinogens
A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer.
Saifuzzaman Anggat / EyeEm / Getty Images
Approximately 70 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer.
They’re present in the soil and fertilizer used in growing tobacco.
Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous, radioactive heavy metals present in cigarette smoke.
Science has discovered approximately 250 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke.
The National Toxicology Program estimates that secondhand smoke contains at least 250 poisonous chemicals and another 70 cancer-causing chemicals.
According to the U.S. Cigarette smoke contains at least 69 carcinogenic compounds, including arsenic, benzene, and polyvinyl chloride.
They make up the more than 250 harmful chemicals in cigarettes.
Other chemicals known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) form as tobacco leaves dry.
Still more chemicals are added during the cigarette-manufacturing process to improve flavor and nicotine absorption.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chemistry and Toxicology of Cigarette Smoke and Biomarkers of Exposure and Harm.
Warren GW, Alberg AJ, Kraft AS, Cummings KM.
2021;34(10):2216-2226. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00253
