What chemicals are in tobacco?
The addictive chemical in tobacco is nicotine. It takes around seven seconds for nicotine to reach your brain after taking a puff on a cigarette, releasing the ‘happy hormone’ dopamine. This makes smokers feel relaxed, giving them the ‘hit’ that maintains their habit. According to some studies, nicotine is more addictive than cannabis, cocaine and heroin. The carcinogenic (cancer-causing) part of tobacco comes from the tar and smoke itself. Tobacco smoke contains 19 known carcinogens, including carbon monoxide (the same stuff pumped out of car exhaust pipes). It also includes chemicals such as formaldehyde, ammonia, polonium and arsenic.
