Articles Index
Hookah Information
Is hookah smoking safer than cigarette smoking? Learn the facts about hookah use.
Cadmium in Cigarettes
Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that occurs in nature. Cadmium is produced as a by-product of the process of smelting (heating and melting ores to extract metals). Cadmium is present in low levels in food, and in high levels in cigarette smoke.
Benzene and Cigarette Smoke
Benzene is present in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure to this health hazard. While definitive conclusions have not yet been drawn, it is generally thought that smokers face an increased risk of leukemia over their nonsmoking counterparts.
A Profile of Nicotine
Nicotine is a colorless, poisonous chemical, derived from the tobacco plant. Nicotine is also extremely addictive.
Information About the Nicotine Lozenge
The nicotine lozenge is a nicotine-based quit aid that comes in the form of a small, candy-like tablet.
All About Smokeless Tobacco
Smokeless tobacco describes a variety of tobacco products that are not smoked by the consumer. Smokeless tobacco is less harmful than smoking, but are still extremely hazardous to human health. Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine and is highly addictive.
Carbon Monoxide in Cigarette Smoke
Carbon monoxide(CO) is a poisonous, colorless and odorless gas that is produced as a result of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of CO.
Information about Nicotine Nasal Spray
Used as a quit smoking aid, nicotine nasal spray works by reducing cravings when the nicotine solution is sprayed into the nose.
Nicotine Gum Information
Nicotine gum is a form of therapeutic nicotine that is designed to help ex-smokers gradually reduce the amount of nicotine they are used to receiving on a daily basis from cigarettes.
Facts About the Nicotine Inhaler
The Nicotrol® nicotine inhaler is an NRT that can help you quit smoking.
Formaldehyde in Cigarette Smoke
Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas with a strong odor, and is a by-product of the combustion process of tobacco smoking. Formaldehyde is responsible for some of the nose, throat and eye irritation smokers experience when breathing in cigarette smoke. Here, a full profile on formaldehyde.
What are TSNAs?
Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and tobacco smoke.
Arsenic in Cigarette Smoke
Organic arsenic is less toxic than inorganic arsenic, and accounts for most of the arsenic humans are exposed to, primarily through food and water. Inorganic arsenic is a byproduct of smelting metals and was used in the past in chemicals that pressure-treated wood for outdoor use, though this has been phased out in recent years. Inorganic arsenic is present in mainstream tobacco smoke and presumably in sidestream smoke as well.
Chantix Patient Information
Chantix was developed specifically for quitting nicotine and has two very unique abilities. First it mimics nicotine - a low dose of it - which eases withdrawal. Second, Chantix blocks nicotine from binding with receptors, which renders it ineffective. If a person smokes while on this drug, they get none of that nicotine boost; smoking is bland.
Radioactive Cigarette Smoke
Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous, radioactive heavy metals that research has shown to be present in cigarette smoke.
Tobacco Health Warnings -- World No Tobacco Day 2009
The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2009 is tobacco health warnings and centers specifically on using graphic images on cigarette packs and posters to force smokers (and those thinking about taking up the habit) to look directly at pictures that play on their worst fears.
Boosting the Impact of Nicotine with Ammonia
Tobacco companies discovered that adding ammonia to the cigarette manufacturing process converts bound nicotine molecules in tobacco smoke into free nicotine molecules. This process is known as "freebasing." Similar to the chemical process of freebasing cocaine, the end result is an enhanced effect of the drug.
What is a Pulmonary Embolism?
A pulmonary embolism is defined as the sudden blockage of an artery in the lung. Most often, a pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot originating in the leg or pelvis breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lung.