Smoking

• Nicotine


  A drug in cigarettes that is a stimulant (makes you feel more awake) and is addictive
• Tar


  A toxic compound in cigarettes that is black and sticky which builds up in lungs and is a carcinogen (damages DNA and causes lung cancer and lung diseases)
• Carbon monoxide


  A poisonous gas found in tobacco smoke which binds to red blood cells and reduces how much oxygen can be carried by the red blood cells around the body, leading to less oxygen being supplied to cells in the body so you feel tired and dizzy
• Passive Smoking

  if people smoke around you then you also breathe in these chemicals, so you still take in the toxins
• When you burn cigarettes you also release tiny pieces of carbon called carbon particulates. They damage the walls of the alveoli, causing them to become scarred and thicker, meaning it's harder for oxygen to get into the body
• Carbon dioxide is NOT a toxic gas for our body