girlshealth.gov - You are the rhythm of the universe! Connect your mind, body and spirit.

Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking - Straight Talk

Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking: Straight talk about tobacco: Guess what's in a cigarette

Guess what’s in a cigarette.

Think that a cigarette is just made of nicotine and tobacco? Think again! A cigarette releases 4,000 chemicals when a person smokes it. If you take a look in your garage, basement, or under your kitchen sink, you will find some of the things put into cigarettes. Match the clues with the names of the chemical.

In the box next to the name of the chemical, put the letter of the description you think best fits.

		Formaldehyde	a) You can also find this ingredient in rat poison.
		Cyanide	b) See those yellow stains on a smoker’s teeth? The same chemical is used to pave streets!
		Nicotine	c) You see it everyday when you throw out your trash because it’s also used to make garbage bags.
		Tar	d) Preserves dead bodies. Yuck!
		Benzene	e) This is a poison used to kill bugs!
		Carbon monoxide	f) Found in batteries.
		Hydrogen cyanide	g) The drug that makes it hard for you to quit smoking. It’s used in other things too, like the bug spray you use on your plants.
		Vinyl chloride	h) You wouldn’t stand behind a car with exhaust coming out, would you? This exhaust is also in cigarettes.
		Lead	i) Helps your car run, because it’s also used to make gasoline.
		Ammonia	j) You can use it to take off your nail polish, but you also inhale it when you smoke cigarettes. Gross!
		Acetone	k) Clean your house with this chemical. Don’t smoke it!

top

Return to the Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking Main Page

Other Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking Pages:
Drugs
Alcohol
Tobacco

For more information...
girlshealth.gov Glossary

Last updated March 2007

E-mail this page to a friend. (Help)

Connect Mind - Body - Spirit
www.girlshealth.gov