How Arsenic in Cigarette Smoke Hurts Your Health

How Arsenic in Cigarette Smoke Hurts Your Health Addiction Nicotine Use The Inside of Cigarettes Print How Arsenic in Cigarette Smoke Hurts Your Health By Terry Martin facebook twitter Terry Martin quit smoking after 26 years and is now an advocate for those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction. Learn about our editorial policy Terry Martin Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Sanja Jelic, MD on January 04, 2020 Sanja Jelic, MD, is board-certified in sleep medicine, critical care medicine, pulmonary disease, and internal medicine.   Learn about our Medical Review Board Sanja Jelic, MD on January 04, 2020 Yulia Reznikov / Moment / Getty Images More in Addiction Nicotine Use The Inside of Cigarettes After You Quit How to Quit Smoking Nicotine Withdrawal Smoking-Related Diseases Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Coping and Recovery Arsenic is a naturally occurring, poisonous element found in the soil. Arsenic may be found alone as a metal, or more commonly as a metal-like compound. Organic arsenic is less toxic than inorganic arsenic, and accounts for most of the arsenic humans are exposed to, primarily through food and water. Inorganic arsenic is a byproduct of smelting metals and was used in the past in chemicals that pressure-treated wood for outdoor use, though this has been phased out in recent years. Organic Arsenic Organic arsenic is formed when arsenic combines with carbon and hydrogen. Inorganic Arsenic Inorganic arsenic occurs when arsenic combines with elements such as oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur. Can Arsenic Cause Cancer? The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified arsenic as being carcinogenic  (Group 1 classification) to humans. Inorganic arsenic has been linked to several cancers, including: Lung cancerSkin cancerBladder cancerLiver cancerKidney cancer Inorganic arsenic is also known to cause skin lesions, including hyperpigmentation. Common Sources of Arsenic Exposure Cigarette smoke:  Arsenic-containing pesticides used in tobacco farming remain in tobacco through processing into cigarettes and are present in small quantities in cigarette smoke.Food: The average American adult takes in 50 milligrams of arsenic each day, with 80 percent of it coming from meat, fish, and poultry. Some wines also contain noticeable levels of arsenic due to pesticides used in farming.Drinking water: Arsenic seeps into well water primarily via bedrock. Groundwater is sometimes contaminated by runoff from soil containing arsenic. Arsenic in Cigarette Smoke Inorganic arsenic is present in mainstream tobacco smoke and presumably in sidestream smoke as well. Depending on average particle size, inorganic arsenic has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of nine days. Indoor concentrations of inorganic arsenic can be much higher than outdoors and is a constituent of thirdhand smoke. According to a report from the California Air Resources Board and the Department of Health Services, smokers breathe in approximately 0.8 to 2.4 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per pack of 20 cigarettes, with approximately 40 percent of it being deposited in the respiratory tract.   Of that amount, 75-80 percent is absorbed by alveoli in the lungs, making the overall absorption of inhaled arsenic in cigarette smoke approximately 30 to 35 percent. Arsenic, along with a host of other toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke exposes smokers (and non-smokers) who breathe in secondhand smoke produced by a burning cigarette to cancer-causing agents and poisons. To date, researchers have identified more than  7,000 chemicals including 250 poisonous and 70 carcinogenic compounds in cigarette smoke. Harmful Chemicals Abound in Cigarettes and Cigarette Smoke If youre a smoker who wants to quit, education about what to expect when you stop smoking along with a support group of like-minded people will help you put smoking  permanently in the past.