Why do cigarettes have tar

PMI has a range of RRPs in various stages of development, scientific assessment and commercialization. Our RRPs are smoke-free products that produce an aerosol that contains far lower quantities of harmful and potentially harmful constituents than found in cigarette smoke.

What's new? List of Partners vendors. As of Dec. Cigarette tar is a term used to describe the toxic chemical particles left behind by burning tobacco. This substance forms a tacky brown or yellow residue. It is not the same as tar used on road surfaces. Tobacco is best known for three major dangers:. Nicotine is the addictive chemical in cigarettes but it is the tar that is responsible for the biggest health risks, including many types of cancer.

The majority are found in the tar produced by smoking cigarettes. Two hundred fifty of those chemicals—including carbon monoxide, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide—are known to be harmful to smokers and people exposed to secondhand smoke. Of those, at least 70 are known to cause cancer. The tar in cigarette smoke builds up inside the lungs as it is inhaled. Over time, healthy pink lung tissue turns grey and eventually becomes black as more tar accumulates.

The primary effect is that the tar paralyzes and can eventually kill cilia in the airways. Cilia are tiny, hair-like structures that line the trachea. They help trap pollutants, but when they're damaged, the toxins in tar can travel deeper into the lungs.

Some of these toxins are released when you exhale or are coughed back out, but some settle and stay in the lungs. Eventually, this can lead to lung disease and conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, and lung cancer. The tar does not just affect your lungs, though. From there, the toxins can be carried into the bloodstream and begin moving to other parts of your body. Because smoke is drawn directly through the mouth, the tar can contribute to oral cancer as well.

Toxins from tar can affect every organ in your body. Beyond cancer, tar toxins can lead to yellow-brown staining on smokers' fingers and teeth as well as the following health conditions:. Cigarette filters were first added in the s when it was reported that the tar in tobacco was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. The idea was for the filter to trap harmful tar and nicotine residues, but the design never worked as well as hoped.

Plenty of toxins still made it through and into the smoker's lungs , exposing them to the risks of smoking-related disease. The concentration of tar in a cigarette was what determined its rating. High-tar cigarettes regular or full-flavor contained 15 mg or more of tar. Medium-tar light cigarettes had 6 mg to 15 mg, and low-tar extra-light or ultra-light cigarettes contained 1 mg to 6 mg of tar. In , the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was passed to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and distribution of any tobacco products labeled as "light," "low," or "mild" on their labels.

Electronic cigarettes have been shown to be less harmful than regular cigarettes. End your inhalation of the dangerous chemical by joining our free Be Smoke Free service , where you will be supported to quit smoking.

Our smoking cessation coaches will help you determine which quit aid is most suitable. After that, they will provide free advice and support throughout your quit. Watch to discover the impact of cigarettes… What is tar?

Read more about smoking and pregnancy. Tar is the sticky brown substance that stains smokers' teeth and fingers yellow-brown. It contains cancer causing particles carcinogens. Tar damages your lungs by narrowing the small tubes bronchioles that absorb oxygen. It also damages the small hairs cilia that help protect your lungs from dirt and infection. This can lead to a range of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD and emphysema. Cigarettes are the most common type of tobacco product in Scotland.

Cigarette tobacco products contain:. The additives are used to make the cigarette more palatable to the user. Many people who smoke roll-ups don't use a filter, so they also end up inhaling more tar and nicotine and therefore become highly addicted and dependent on their habit.

Roll-ups are at least as harmful for you as ordinary cigarettes, and can cause the same health risks. Studies have suggested that people who smoke roll-ups also have an increased risk of cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, pharynx and larynx compared to smokers of manufactured cigarettes.