Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that you can't see, smell or taste. Tobacco contains carbon and when it burns it gives off carbon monoxide. When you smoke a cigarette and inhale the smoke, you breathe in carbon monoxide which is then absorbed through the lungs into the blood stream.
Do cigarettes produce carbon monoxide?
CO in tobacco smoke CO is not added to tobacco but is formed when tobacco is burned incompletely. This happens when there is too little oxygen present to convert all of the carbon in the tobacco into harmless carbon dioxide. Cigarette smoke can contain large quantities of CO.
How much carbon monoxide does a cigarette produce?
A smoker's level of CO varies according to the time of day, the number of tobacco products smoked and how the smoke is inhaled. A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes per day will commonly have a CO level of about 20 parts per million. A two-pack-a-day smoker may have a level of about 40 parts per million.
How is carbon monoxide in cigarettes harmful?
Background: Carbon monoxide may contribute to smoking-induced cardiovascular disease. Exposure to environmental CO has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Animal and in vitro studies suggest that CO may contribute to atherosclerosis and endothelial injury.