Do Cigarettes Contain Rat Poison?

While smoking cigarettes, people hardly think about the harmful chemicals present in them and neither do they think about the effects of smoking on the body. There is just a strong desire to evade the stress and get relaxed for a while. In such a 'noble quest', why to think about other factors?

Besides, we know that the basic ingredients in cigarettes are tobacco and nicotine. What else can be there in them? Well, if you are also thinking the same, hold on a second, as there is much more than that. It is said that arsenic, the main rat poison ingredient, is used in cigarettes. Shocked? Well, now let's find out more about it.

More than 4,000 potentially harmful chemicals are added in them. Of these, more than 50 are supposedly carcinogenic, i.e., they can cause cancer of various types. Mentioned here are some of those chemicals.

☛ Benzene
Benzene is a colorless hydrocarbon incurred from petroleum and coal. It is used in the chemical manufacturing industry and as a petrol additive.

☛ Ammonia
Ammonia aids in the conversion of nicotine to gas. It is mainly used as a flavoring ingredient in many products. It is also used as the main ingredient in dry cleaning solvents and toilet cleaners.

☛ Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is highly poisonous, and it is mainly used as a preservative for dead bodies. It is a colorless liquid and extremely carcinogenic in nature.

☛ Tar
Most of the passive smoking effects are caused by tar and other such substances present in cigarettes. It is a known fact that more than 70% of the tar gets saturated in the lungs of the smoker itself.

☛ Hydrogen Cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide is an extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid. It is the same substance that is present in the notorious gas chamber poison.

☛ Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is the main culprit for air pollution. It is the same gas that is found in the car exhaust.

☛ Arsenic
Arsenic is a powdered trioxide of arsenic that is basically used in manufacturing glass and also as a pesticide and rat poison.

There are many essential rat poison ingredients found in cigarettes. What is rat poison made of? Well, along with arsenic, there are a few other things used in making it.

✔ It has several coagulants like brodifacoum, warfarin, diphacinone, and bromadiolon along with several metal phosphides, and a really high dosage of vitamin D.

✔ Evidences also suggest that chemicals, like sodium fluoride, oxalic acid, barium carbonate, and several such chemicals are also present in a rat poison.

✔ The doubt about whether rat poison is present in cigarettes or not comes to the mind, because there is a significant amount of fluorine present in cigarettes (rat poison has sodium fluoride).

✔ Along with fluorine, several insecticides and pesticides are also found in them.

✔ In a similar noted case, a tobacco company scientist admitted during his testimony that coumarin was used for adulteration in cigarettes.

✔ It is also a fact that cigarette manufacturers do not intentionally add rat poison to cigarettes while making them. But, they do show the presence of the poison.

✔ Cigarettes, that are amongst a few harmful products sold legally, cause a major damage to the human body with/without the presence of rat poison.

✔ Cigarettes are potentially harmful for the smoker as well as the people who get affected by the smoke. With every puff, thousands of toxic and carcinogenic substances become active in and out of the human body.

✔ Unfortunately, even when a person smokes within the prescribed limits, it is still harmful.

The best way to stay away from the side effects of smoking is to quit smoking. This way you are not just benefiting yourself but the entire society.

Knowingly or unknowingly, there is some amount of rat poison present in cigarettes that the smoker inhales and exhales. Now, that you know this fact, what is the need to risk so many lives for such a momentary pleasure? Think about it!

Disclaimer: This is for informative purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.