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Toxic Emissions Statements
Whenever a tobacco product is burned, people are exposed to these chemicals, either directly through smoking or through exposure to second-hand smoke.
Facts
Cancer Causing Chemicals
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including at least 70 known carcinogens (chemicals that cause, initiate or promote cancer).Footnote 1,Footnote 2a Many of these same chemicals are present in second-hand smoke.Footnote 3 Repeated exposure to carcinogens increases the risk of developing cancer.Footnote 4,Footnote 5
For more information, visit our fact sheet on carcinogens in tobacco smoke.
Benzene
Benzene is one of the many chemicals present in tobacco smoke.Footnote 6a,Footnote 7 Benzene is an organic chemical compound that has been declared toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.Footnote 8 The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies benzene as carcinogenic to humans.Footnote 9
For more information, visit our fact sheet on carcinogens in tobacco smoke.
Fine Particles
Tobacco smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution, where a smoker resides, and comprises a complex mixture of chemicals in the form of gases and particles.Footnote 2b,Footnote 10 Tobacco smoke particles are very small and can enter deep into the lungs. These fine particles contain many carcinogenic chemicals such as tobacco specific nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as many heavy metals.Footnote 11 When inhaled, these fine particles can enter deep into the respiratory system, increasing the risk of severe health effects including worsening of asthma symptoms, decreased lung function, infection and inflammation of the lungs, and the increased risk of mortality from lung cancer.Footnote 12,Footnote 16
Hydrogen Cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide is one of the many chemicals present in tobacco smoke.Footnote 6b,Footnote 17 Hydrogen cyanide interferes with the use of oxygen in the body and may cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.Footnote 18
References
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
-
Rodgman, A., Perfetti, T.A. The chemical components of tobacco and tobacco smoke. (2009). CRC press, Florida, USA. ISBN 978-1-4200-7883-1.
- Footnote 2
-
Hecht SS. Research Opportunities Related to Establishing Standards for Tobacco Products Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Nicotine & Tobacco Research [http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/] Commentary [accepted November 25, 2010]. Web Published 2011 January;10.1093/ntr/ntq216. Available from:
http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/01/09/ntr.ntq216.full.pdfReturn to footnote 2a referrer, Return to footnote 2b referrer
- Footnote 3
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U.S. Department of Health and Human services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2006. Ch.2, p.45. Available from:
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/index.html - Footnote 4
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: a Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2004/pdfs/chapter2.pdf - Footnote 5
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World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans. Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans. 2009. Available from:
http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/crthgr01.php - Footnote 6
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Talhout R et al. Hazardous Compounds in Tobacco Smoke. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2011;8:613-628.
Return to footnote 6a referrer, Return to footnote 6b referrer
- Footnote 7
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Wallace L. Major Sources of Exposure to Benzene and Other Volatile Organic Chemicals. Risk Analysis 1990;10:59-64.
- Footnote 8
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Department of Justice Canada [www.justice.gc.ca] Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 [accessed January 28, 2011] Available from:
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/c-15.31/ - Footnote 9
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International agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monographs, Volume 100F, A Review of Human Carcinogens [accessed on January 28, 2011]. Available from:
http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/suppl7/Suppl7-24.pdf - Footnote 10
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Ott W.R., Klepeis N.E. and Switzer P. Analytical solutions to compartmental indoor air quality models with application to environmental tobacco smoke concentrations measured in a house. Journal of Air and Waste Management Association 2003, 53:918-936.
- Footnote 11
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Gee I.L., Watson A.F.R., Tavernier G., Stewart L.J. Fletcher G. and Niven R.M. Indoor air quality, environmental tobacco smoke and asthma: A case control study of Asthma in a community population. Indoor and Built Environment 2005, 14:215-219.
- Footnote 12
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Daly, B.-J., Schmid, K., Riediker, M. Contribution of fine particulate matter sources to indoor exposure in bars, restaurants, and cafes. Indoor Air 2010, 20:204-212.
- Footnote 13
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Pope III, C.A., and Dockery, D.W. Health effects of fine particulate air pollution: lines that connect. Journal of Air and Waste Management Association. 2006, 56:709-742.
- Footnote 14
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Valavanidis, A., Fiotakis, K., Vlachogianni, T. Airborne particulate matter and human health: Toxicological assessment and importance of size and composition of particles for oxidative damage and carcinogenic mechanisms. Journal of Environmental Science and Health - Part C Environmental Carcinogenesis and Ecotoxicology Reviews 2008, 26:339-362.
- Footnote 15
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Eftim, S.E., Samet, J.M., Janes, H., McDermott, A., Dominici, F. Fine particulate matter and mortality: A comparison of the Six Cities and American Cancer Society cohorts with a medicare cohort. Epidemiology, 2008;19:209-216
- Footnote 16
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Pope III, C.A., Burnett, R.T., Thun, M.J., Calle, E.E., Krewski, D., Ito, K., Thurston, G.D. Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. Journal of the American Medical Association 2002, 287:1132-1141
- Footnote 17
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Brunnemann KD, Yu L, Hoffmann D. Chemical Studies on Tobacco Smoke. XLIX. Gas Chromatographic Determination of Hydrogen Cyanide and Cyanogen in Tobacco smoke. Journal of Analytical Toxicology. 1977;1:38-42.
- Footnote 18
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry. Atlanta, GA: Medical Management Guidelines for Hydrogen Cyanide [accessed January 28, 2011]
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mmg/mmg.asp?id=1073&tid=19
