Tobacco Tobacco is made from the dried leaves of the tobacco plant.

The majority of tobacco consumed in Australia is in the form of cigarettes. After the leaves are dried they are treated with around 4000 different chemicals before being made into cigarettes. Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens (cancer causing), and tobacco smoke itself is carcinogenic. Tar is the name given to the yellow-brown substance that stains smokers' teeth, fingers and lungs. It is made up of many different chemical particles and is the main cause of throat and lung cancer in smokers. All cigarettes contain tar. Nicotine is a drug that is found naturally in tobacco and it makes cigarettes and other tobacco products addictive. When nicotine is absorbed in the body it can cause a number of effects, including stimulating the nervous system, increasing heart rate, raising blood pressure and constricting small blood vessels. It is also highly toxic and was once used in pesticides. Some of the other chemicals that are common in cigarettes are: Chemical These chemicals are also in: Carbon Monoxide Car Exhaust Fumes Toluene Industrial Solvent Ammonia Floor Cleaner Acetone Paint Stripper Arsenic Termite Poison Cadmium Car Batteries Butane Lighter Fluid Methanol Rocket Fuel Hydrogen Cyanide Gas Chamber DDT Insecticide Naphthalene Moth Balls Effects Tobacco smoking is the largest cause of preventable death and disease in Australia, contributing to the death of around 15 000 people each year. More people die from smoking-related diseases than from illicit drugs, alcohol and road accidents combined. Smoking affects both the inside and outside of the body; some of these effects are immediate and others can occur later in a smoker's life. Some of the consequences of smoking are: Blindness Infertility and impotence Stroke Cardiovascular disease and other diseases of the arteries Gangrene, often resulting in the loss of limbs Various cancers, especially lung cancer Less oxygen to the brain and heart Shortness of breath Increased blood pressure Gum disease Smelly breath and stained teeth back to top Passive Smoking