WHAT IS IN TOBACCO SMOKE ?
NICOTINE:
 Nicotine is a poison. Swallowing two or three drops of pure nicotine can kill an adult. When used as a concentrated insect spray, nicotine is 10 times more toxic than DDT. Voluntary agreements with the tobacco industry ensure that the amount of nicotine in Australian made cigarettes is limited to 1.4 mg. It takes 7.5 seconds for nicotine to act on the brain after inhaling cigarette smoke.

The initial effect is stimulation followed by a relaxed feeling about half an hour later. The absorption of nicotine and its distribution to the brain and other body organs and tissues is very rapid.

Regular intake is needed to maintain a certain level of nicotine in the body. Nicotine causes the narrowing of blood vessels, in turn, affecting circulation and causing blood pressure to rise. Just one or two cigarettes will cause a significant increase in heart rate, a rise in blood pressure and a decrease in circulation to body extremities like fingers and toes. This is why regular absorption of nicotine through smoking cigarettes may increase the possibility of heart attack in people with chronic heart problems and can initially contribute to these problems. The negative health effects of smoking tobacco vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including how much tar it contains, how much nicotine it contains and how the tobacco is smoked.

TAR:
When a cigarette burns tar is released in the form of tiny particles in the smoke. It is the main cause of lung and throat
cancer in smokers and also aggravates bronchial and respiratory disease. Smokers cough, wheezing and shortness of breath are all caused by tar and other elements in tobacco smoke reducing the flexibility of the small air sacs in the lungs. Yellow staining found on the teeth and fingers of a smoker is also caused by tar.
A person who smokes one packet of cigarettes a day will inhale more than half a cup of tar each year. Smokers who switch to low tar brands tend to smoke more cigarettes or inhale the smoke more deeply, so the benefit of switching to low tar cigarettes is limited when compared to quitting.

CARBON MONOXIDE:
Carbon monoxide is an extremely toxic gas that is totally odourless and colourless.
Smoking cigarettes causes a greater concentration of carbon monoxide in the lungs than breathing in polluted air.
Carbon monoxide can be found in car exhaust, fires as well as tobacco smoke.

When you breath your lungs take on oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, When blood reaches your lungs an exchange of gases takes place - the body gets rid of carbon dioxide and takes in more oxygen. Because the blood absorbs carbon monoxide more easily than oxygen, in a person who smokes this means that the blood leaves the heart with less oxygen than it should be carrying, resulting in a lack of oxygen supply to the cells of the body.

People who smoke have higher levels of carbon monoxide in the blood than a non-smoker. The risk of developing circulation problems, such as coronary heart disease and/or hardening of the arteries is greatly increased in a smoker.

OTHER CHEMICALS:
Small amounts of more than 4,000 chemicals including tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, radioactive compounds, irritant substances such as ammonia, cyanide, acetone, hydrogen, naphthalene, arsenic and phenol are found in cigarette smoke.
The main problem causing chemicals are tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. Other dangerous compounds and substances can be found in cigarette smoke including some which are toxic, including 43 which have been identified as being carcinogenic (causing cancer).

PASSIVE SMOKING
'Passive smoking' refers to breathing in smoke from people holding burning cigarettes, cigars or pipes near you or breathing in 'mainstream' smoke exhaled by a person smoking near you. Smoke that drifts from the end of a lit cigarette contains a large number of chemical carcinogens and other toxic substances.
Sometimes these amounts are 30 times higher than smoke inhaled by a smoker. Recently, scientists have found strong evidence that passive smoking can be harmful to health. It can lead to increased bronchitis, pneumonia and other chest illnesses in children and lung cancer and other lung disease in non-smokers.

EFFECT ON CHILDREN AND BABIES

Chemicals from tobacco smoke pass through the mother's placenta to the baby and reduce the oxygen and blood flow to the baby. A woman who is exposed to tobacco or smokes tobacco during a pregnancy greatly increases the chances that her baby will have a smaller chest and head and weigh less than normal when born.

The chances of miscarriage, premature birth and complications during and after birth are also increased. Babies born to mothers who smoked tobacco during pregnancy are more likely to get respiratory illnesses in the first few years of life.
Children can also show signs of slow learning and growth and behaviour changes. Passive smoking is particularly dangerous for babies and children who have small, delicate lungs. It can also be very dangerous for adults who have asthma or an existing lung or heart problem.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ('SIDS' or 'Cot Death') is closely linked to smoking tobacco or being exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy. The effects of passive smoking will depend on how long the non-smoker spends in a smoke-filled environment, how well the air flows in the area and how many cigarettes are being smoked.

WITHDRAWAL
Withdrawal from nicotine can be a very unpleasant experience for the person who is trying to quit the habit. A person can suffer many withdrawal symptoms which most often include: irritability, depression, mood swings, weepiness, light headedness and headaches, "pins and needles" in the legs, tiredness, insomnia, difficulty in thinking, gastro-intestinal upsets, increased hunger or cravings, constipation, various aches and pains, chest pains and coughing.

For further detailed information and advice on smoking, passive smoking and heart health contact:
The National Heart Foundation of Australia: 1300 362 787
or visit their website at: www.heartfoundation.com.au
P0 Box 2222 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012. Telephone: (02) 9219 2444

For assistance and counselling for quitting smoking, contact: Quitline telephone: 131848
or visit their website at: www.quitnow.info.au or www.quit.org.au