How many known chemicals are there in a burning cigarette?

Answer 1

It's impossible to say. It depends on many factors , including the brand, how moist the tobacco is, where the tobacco was grown, the rate of combustion, the temperature of combustion, the means of lighting it, the exact point in time the sample is taken and, of course, the composition of the air it's burning in. Even "fresh air" contains nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, neon, helium, krypton, xenon, methane, nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, ammonia and water vapour. (I may have missed out one or two!) Add to those all the environmental and man made pollutants in the air and there could be hundreds or even thousands in the unburnt air or the residue of the burnt air.

By varying these factors, a different "mix" may be obtained almost at will. (How do you think Tobacco Control managed to detect the claimed 4,000+ in tobacco smoke!)

Incidentally, there are MILLIONS of different chemicals in the human body.

Answer 2

A burning cigarette contains over 7,000 chemicals, including toxic compounds such as nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde. These chemicals are released into the air when tobacco is burned and can be harmful to both smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke.