Tar in Cigarettes

“Low Tar”, “Light”, and “Mild” were some of the labels manufacturers in the 60s, 70s and 80s used to convince consumers that some cigarettes were healthier than others. The FTC went as far as creating a machine that mimicked smoking to measure the level of “tar” that a typical smoker would get from a particular cigarette. This might seem to be a reasonable method of measurement until you ask the question, “What exactly is the tar in cigarettes anyway?”

Actually, the “tar” described by some manufacturers is a term to describe what is left over from the burnt nicotine and various other chemicals, or the tobacco residue. Tar is created when the tobacco and other ingredients are burned. This tar is then inhaled, often drawn through a cigarette filter containing other chemicals, and becomes logged in the lungs or is exhaled.

The cigarette manufacturers know what chemicals they put into their product, although because of a strange law they are permitted to hide this “recipe” from the consumer. However, after these known chemicals are combusted, or burned at the end of a cigarette, they become new and sometimes unknown compounds. There are over 4,000 chemicals in

While science is still trying to decipher some of the created chemicals of a burning cigarette, the known chemicals include things like; BPA, contained in the filter; menthol, which is sometimes mixed with the tobacco; and nicotine, among many others. Some of the created chemicals include things like Carbon monoxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), the latter of which is partially responsible for the gene destruction that leads to cancer.

If you are trying to quit, don’t be fooled into thinking that the tar in one cigarette is any less or more than another. Any amount of tar is dangerous. Some quit plans include smoking cessation which can be quite successful. Be sure to set an official quit date and coordinate with your doctor to develop a plan of action that addresses the social, emotional and physical reasons you smoke.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(tobacco_residue)
http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/2001/lowtar
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/bpa-and-pregnant-women.com