Top 10 Ingredients in Cigarettes that are Harmful

10. Formaldehyde

We are startin off with Formaldehyde, which is a colorless, pungent gas that’s present in cigarette smoke. It is produced in a limited quantity in our bodies, but not enough to harm us. However, if present in the air at levels higher than 0.1 parts per million (ppm), it results in a severely detrimental impact on our health. Different people exhibit different levels of sensitivity to this chemical, so the amount of damage done varies. There may be both short-term, and long-term effects. The former include irritation of the eyes, nasal passages and throat, which results in a burning sensation in all three. Furthermore, the smoker can suffer from watery eyes, cough, nausea and skin irritation. High levels of exposure increase chances of some types of cancers. To learn more about the sources of formaldehyde and other risks, you might want to consult this list of facts compiled by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH / Shutterstock.com