Most people know that smoking is hazardous to their well-being and it generates numerous health problems, but the majority of smokers don't know about the real risks of smoking. Don't ever be deceived, the legitimate dangers of smoking are exceedingly hazardous and can put you in your grave. The life that you might be able to save if you quit smoking may be your own!

It has been documented that there are over four thousand chemicals and various elements in tobacco products! Did you know that over sixty of these devastating substances are carcinogens and another four hundred are lethal? If you fully understand the genuine hazards of smoking, there will be no doubt in your mind that you should quit smoking immediately, if not sooner. The following list includes only twenty of the more than four thousand dangerous chemicals and elements that are ingested into your body when you are smoking cigarettes and various other smoking-related products.

01 - Hydrogen Cyanide is an exceedingly toxic chemical agent that is used in tempering steel. It is also used in explosives, engraving, and in gas chambers on death row.

02 - Carbon Monoxide enters the blood stream and replaces the oxygen in the blood, causing a lesser amount of oxygen to be transported to the brain, heart, and vital organs.

03 - Nicotine is not only a known stimulant and a poisonous substance, but it is an exceedingly addictive drug. It is used in insecticides and a single drop of nicotine is definitely enough to take the life of an individual.

04 - Tar in cigarette smoke paralyzes the cilia which is located in the lungs and contributes to serious lung diseases such as lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.

05 - Ammonia is a common element in many cleaning products. Ammonia increases the delivery of nicotine to the brain's sensors, which keeps smokers addicted to nicotine.

06 - Eugenol can be the cause of a wide range of symptoms from rapid heartbeat, blood in the urine, convulsions, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, or unconsciousness.

07 - Arsenic is a notorious poison and is used in pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, rat poisons, and is commonly used in the manufacturing of some alloys.

08 - Napthalene is quite volatile in nature which forms a combustible gas. It can wipe out not only the blood cells but the liver cells as well. Napthalene is most commonly known for being the main ingredient in mothballs.

09 - Formaldehyde is used quite often in glues for wood products, sterilizers, makeup, resins, fertilizers, embalming fluids used in funeral homes, and in solutions for preserving biological tissues.

10 - Butane is used as the fuel for lighters and butane is a propellant in aerosol spray cans, and is often added to low octane gasoline to improve the performance of the vehicle.

11 - Turpentine is an extremely flammable solvent and is used for thinning oil-based paints and is also used in the production of varnishes. Its vapor can easily cause burns to the skin and eyes, cause damage to the lungs and to the respiratory system, as well as an individual's central nervous system when inhaled.

12 - Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless chemically inert radioactive gas that is found in the soil. Radon is one of the heaviest gases and is considered to be a serious health hazard and causes the second highest incidence of lung cancer in the United States.

13 - Benzene is known to be a cancer causing agent which is linked to leukemia and various blood disorders and is also being used for the production of industrial strength solvents, drugs, plastics, man-made rubber, and dyes.

14 - Methanol has toxic properties and is commonly known as wood alcohol. It is used on a somewhat limited basis to fuel internal combustion engines.

15 - Nickel is a carcinogen and is known to be poisonous if ingested. It is used in electroplating various metals and is widely used as a stabilizer in steel and cast-iron alloys.

16 - Lead is a poisonous element that can cause blood and brain disorders in all age groups. When lead is ingested it may cause various types of behavioral problems, possible learning disabilities, seizures, and death.

17 - Acetaidehyde is irritating and depressive to all of the cells in the body and it's a very reactive chemical. It is also suspected to be a cancer-causing substance.

18 - Acetone is used to produce explosives, cosmetics (including nail-polish remover), artificial fibers, paints, inks, resins, adhesives, and coatings.

19 - Cadmium is a very toxic metal which is commonly found in many industrial locations, generally where ore is being processed or smelted. About seventy-five percent of Cadmium is used in nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries.

20 - Polonium is found in uranium ore and is a radioactive element. Polonium is present in cigarette smoke which is caused by the tobacco plants being primarily fertilized with phosphate fertilizers.

Smokers risk developing cancer of the throat, lungs, and mouth, as well as emphysema, asthma, and chronic bronchitis. Smokers are also more prone to have stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high LDL (bad) cholesterol. Cigarette smoking causes about eighty percent of all lung cancer and nearly eighty-five percent of all lung cancer patients lose their lives within three years! To come right to the point, it's been anticipated that one out of every three cigarette smokers will eventually die from a tobacco-related illness. That's incredibly bad odds!

Here's a startling smoking fact. Did you know that Ambergris Tincture, commonly known as Whale Vomit is added to cigarette tobacco for additional flavoring? Ambergris is a fatty, waxy substance that forms in the intestines of the sperm whale. Fresh ambergris is foul smelling and it drifts on the ocean's surface. The next time that you begin to light up a cigarette, simply think of where that great taste really came from! What an excellent reason to quit smoking as soon as possible.