It’s just one wow! That little thing has over 4,000 chemicals in it! You already know that cigarettes contain Nicotine, but did you know that Nicotine is also used in bug spray? Before you decide to light up, you might want to know just what it is that you’re inhaling. Below are
Topics on Smoking
The Smoking Scene
Health Hazards
What’s In A Cigarette?
Peer Pressure
Help Someone To Quit
AnimAction
What You Can Do
From the Mentors
just a few of the other chemicals found in cigarettes

  • Tar. This ingredient, which gives cigarettes flavor, is the same thick black substance used to pave roads and driveways.
  • Formaldehyde. This is the same stuff used to preserve dead animals, like the frogs dissected in some biology classes.
  • Cyanide, which is also a main ingredient in rat poison.
  • Lead. It’s also found in some kinds of paint.
  • Acetone, which is a common ingredient in paint and nail polish remover.
  • Ammonia. Besides the fact that it’s in many household cleaners, it’s also in cigarettes.
  • Carbon monoxide, a common pollutant and the same stuff that escapes from the exhaust in cars.
  • Hydrazine, a chemical used in jets and rocket fuel.

To give you an idea of the harm these substances can do, picture the thick gooey ness of tar. The average smoker inhales about one cup of tar a year. Because a smoker’s lungs often don’t work as well as they should, the tar may stick and stay in there for a long time. Tar also hurts the “cilia” in a person’s airway, which are tiny hairs that protect the lungs by sweeping out mucus and germs. Tar, like many of the other chemicals in cigarettes, can cause diseases related to how we breathe, like emphysema and bronchitis.

Okay, so you know the facts. Now, read what do you when you’re facing Peer Pressure to smoke.

Previous E mail this page to a friend Get printable version of this page

Reference cigarette program

The well-known menthol cigarettes brands

Reference cigarettes are for research purposes only and are not for human consumption.

As of July 1st, 2013 both 3R4F and 1R5F cigarettes are $100 per thousand.

The College of Agriculture Reference Cigarette Program is now accepting orders for the 3R4F reference cigarette. We also have limited supplies of the 1R5F reference cigarette available. Both the 3R4F and 1R5F reference cigarettes are $100 per 1000 cigarettes. There are no 2R4F reference cigarettes available. For each order the total price will include the price of the research cigarettes, a $10 handling fee per order and the shipping charges. Payment options are only check or wire money transfer. Credit cards are not accepted. To place an order you must fill out the University of Kentucky reference cigarette order form and the disclaimer form (see links). Completed forms can be emailed to or faxed to (859) 257 6012.