CIGARETTE PAPER

In addition to tobacco, cigarettes contain paper made of cellulose. The paper has chemicals added to it which:

• Give it a whiter appearance
• Make the ash look nicer
• Make sure the cigarette never burns out

The paper is sealed with glue and often contains a monogram made of colored ink.

THE FILTER

The filter of a cigarette is a very complicated structure that consists of fibers bound together by glue. The filter also has chemical additives that:

• Enhance the taste
• Speed up nicotine delivery

Also, it is the filter that determines if a cigarette can be called a “light” or “ultra-light” brand.

The low tar, low nicotine brands have filters that contain tiny holes in them. The holes allow outside air to be brought in with each puff of a cigarette, thus diluting the tar and nicotine to lower levels.

Pack Fact: Filters don’t really remove enough tar and nicotine to make cigarettes any safer.

The filter idea came to be about thirty years ago. The public was getting concerned about the ill effects of smoking and in response to these concerns, the tobacco companies added filters to their cigarettes. Claims were made that filters were removing unhealthy particles in the cigarette smoke.

Pack Fact: “Light” and “ultra-light” brands of cigarettes really deliver the same amounts of tar and nicotine as full-flavored brands. This makes them just as dangerous.

The new filtered cigarettes were tested to see if they produced lower levels of tar and nicotine. Special machines were designed that could smoke cigarettes and measure the levels of tar and nicotine in the smoke. And yes, the holes worked and the filtered cigarettes delivered lower amounts of tar and nicotine (to the machines).

The problem with this method is that people don’t smoke like machines. People have lips and fingers that cover up the holes. Also, unlike machines, people can inhale deeper, take more frequent puffs, and hold the smoke in their lungs longer.

This is exactly what people who smoke “light” cigarettes do. They need to extract enough nicotine out of their “lighter” cigarette in order to prevent their blood levels of nicotine from falling. If they smoked them like regular cigarettes, the nicotine levels in their bodies would fall, and nicotine withdrawal symptoms would appear.

The bottom line is that the “light” and “ultra-light” brands don’t really deliver lower amounts of tar and nicotine, no matter what the packages say.

THE TIPPING PAPER

The tipping paper is the paper that connects the filter to the cigarette and is often colored to give it the appearance of cork. The tipping paper contains several chemicals that prevent your lips from sticking to the paper.

THE TASTE

The taste of cigarettes has gone through many changes over the years. Initially, cigarettes were all unfiltered, allowing the full “flavor” of the tar to come through. With the addition of filters, too much tar was removed and the cigarettes tasted too bitter. (Filters don’t remove enough tar to make cigarettes less dangerous).

The solution was simple -- add taste-improving chemicals. The problem is that many of the taste-enhancing chemicals added to cigarettes have been found to be carcinogenic, or cancer-causing. Here is a list of some of the chemicals found in your cigarettes and some of their other uses:

Arsenic - used as rat poison
Acetic acid – photo developer
Acetone – nail polish remover
Ammonia – household cleaner
Cadmium – found in batteries
Carbon Monoxide – poison
Formaldehyde – embalm dead bodies
Hydrazine – rocket fuel
Phenol – in plastic

We now know the names of many of these chemicals because of the recently released tobacco documents. We also now know that not all of these chemicals are added for taste. Many are added to keep your cigarettes burning at a certain temperature. This is because there needs to be a very hot tip for the nicotine to be heated up into a vapor and inhaled into your lungs. Nicotine in its vapor form is what gives cigarettes their power to affect your moods and addict your brain.

THE CHEMICALS

Ammonia – Much More than a Toilet Cleaner

Ammonia is added because it increases the speed at which nicotine travels through the body. This is important because nicotine makes a person feel a lot better if it is quickly delivered to their brain. Ammonia works by causing less nicotine to be removed by the filter and by your blood. This means your brain gets a higher dose with each puff taken.

Ammonia is also one of the main reasons that your first cigarette of the day is so enjoyable. Your brain went without nicotine while you were asleep, so it wants some right away. That first puff rapidly delivers a large amount of nicotine (because of the added ammonia) to your brain in seven seconds. It’s like drinking a whole glass of water when you are really thirsty. It just gets soaked right up.

Chemicals are also added to the cigarette filter and paper wrapping. These chemicals cause your cigarette to burn evenly and to improve the taste and smell. Have you ever noticed how a cigarette will completely burn if you just light it and leave it in the ashtray? That’s because of an added chemical that’s also used in larger amounts to make rocket fuel. Unfortunately, because cigarettes are so good at staying lit, there are daily fires (and deaths) caused by cigarettes.

Now you know more than you ever wanted to know about the parts of a cigarette, you may never look at a cigarette the same way again. You probably already knew they were unsafe and now you have a better understanding of why. Hopefully, this will add to your motivation and help you be a better quitter.

By the way, if you are feeling a bit angry that so many things have been added to the cigarettes you enjoy so much, you should be. Know that many of these chemicals were added to make you better able to tolerate toxic amounts of cigarette smoke. And know that they were added without regard to your health. Most of all, know that many of these chemicals were added to keep you addicted. As the tobacco industry saying goes, “An addicted customer is a customer for life, no matter how short that life is.”

But don’t worry. It is you and not the tobacco industry that is going to have the last laugh. That’s because you are well on your way to becoming a nonsmoker. No matter how many chemicals are added to cigarettes, nothing can stop you from quitting if you never give up.

Dr. Quit
Mrs. Quit