How smoking damages the body
As well as nicotine, there are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which many are poisons. At least 60 of these chemicals cause cancer.
Among some of the most dangerous components are:
Tar: When you breathe in tobacco smoke, some tar is deposited in the lungs. Your lungs are lined with tiny hairs that help 'sweep' germs and other things out of your lungs. It is harder for these hairs to move if your lungs are coated with tar.
The tar in cigarette smoke contains chemicals called carcinogens, which encourage the development of cancer cells in the body.
Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide binds itself to haemoglobin in the bloodstream and prevents it from carrying enough oxygen around the body. This means that someone who smokes is likely to get out of breath and get tired more easily.
Eventually, you can get a lung disease called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you have this, it gets harder and harder to breathe.
Oxidant gases: Oxidant gases are gases that react with oxygen. They make blood more likely to clot, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Benzene: Exposure to benzene can cause cell damage at the genetic level, and has been linked to a range of different cancers, such as leukaemia and kidney cancer.