Table 1.
Selected known or suspected carcinogens in mainstream cigarette smoke.
| Chemical family | Compound | Quantity per cigarette | IARC carcinogen class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | Benzo[a]pyrene | 8.5–17.6 ng | 1 |
| Benz[a]anthracene | 20–70 ng | 2A | |
| Dibenz[a,h]anthracene | 4 ng | 2A | |
| Benzo[b]fluorathene | 4–22 ng | 2B | |
| Benzo[j]fluorathene | 6–21 ng | 2B | |
| Benzo[k]fluorathene | 6–12 ng | 2B | |
| Dibenzo[a,i]pyrene | 1.7–3.2 ng | 2B | |
| Dibenzo[a,e]pyrene | Present | 2B | |
| Indenol[1,2,3-cd]pyrene | 4–20 ng | 2B | |
| 5-methylchrysene | U-0.6 ng | 2B | |
| Heterocyclic compounds | Benzo [b]furan | Present | 2B |
| Dibenz[a,h]acridine | U-0.1 ng | 2B | |
| Dibenz[a,j]acridine | U-10 ng | 2B | |
| Dibenzo[c,g]carbazole | U-0.7 ng | 2B | |
| Furan | 20–40 μg | 2B | |
| Aromatic amines | 2-naphthylamine | 1–22 ng | 1 |
| 4-aminobiphenyl | 2–5 ng | 1 | |
| 2-toluidine | 30–200 ng | 2A | |
| 2,6-dimethylaniline | 4–50 ng | 2B | |
| Organic compounds | Vinyl chloride | 11–15 ng | 1 |
| Ethylene oxide | 7 μg | 1 | |
| Acrylamide | Present | 2A | |
| Acetamide | 38–56 μg | 2B | |
| Acrylonitrile | 3–15 μg | 2B | |
| 1,1-dimethylhydrazine | Present | 2B | |
| Propylene oxide | U-100 ng | 2B | |
| Urethane | 20–38 ng | 2B | |
| Phenolic compounds | Caffeic acid | < 3 μg | 2B |
| Catechol | 59–81 μg | 2B | |
| Inorganic compounds | Radioisotope polonium-210 | 0.03–1.0 pCi | 1 |
| Hydrazine | 24–43 ng | 2B | |
| N-nitrosamines | N-nitrosonornicotine | 154–196 ng | 1 |
| 4-(methy1nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanoe | 110–133 ng | 1 | |
| N-nitrosodimethylamine | 0.1–180 ng | 2A | |
| N-nitrosodiethylamine | U-25 ng | 2A | |
| N-nitrosoethylmethylamine | U-13 ng | 2B | |
| N-nitrosopyrrolidine | 1.5–110 ng | 2B | |
| N-nitrosopiperidine | U-9 ng | 2B | |
| N-nitrosodiethanolamine | U-36 ng | 2B | |
| Heterocyclic aromatic amines | 3-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline | 0.3 ng | 2A |
| 2-amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole | 25–260 ng | 2B | |
| 2-amino-3-methyl-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole | 2–37 ng | 2B | |
| 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole | 0.3–0.5 ng | 2B | |
| 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole | 0.8–1.1 ng | 2B | |
| 2-amino-6-methylpyrido[1,2-a:3’,2’-d]imidazole | 0.37–0.89 ng | 2B | |
| 2-aminodipyrido[1,2-a:3’2’-d]imidazole | 0.25–0.88 ng | 2B | |
| 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine | 11–23 ng | 2B | |
| Metals | Arsenic | 40–120 ng | 1 |
| Beryllium | 0.5 ng | 1 | |
| Nickel | U-600 ng | 1 | |
| Chromium (hexavalent) | 4–70 ng | 1 | |
| Cadmium | 41–62 ng | 1 | |
| Lead (inorganic) | 34–85 ng | 2A | |
| Cobalt | 0.13–0.20 ng | 2B | |
| Nitro compounds | Nitromethane | 0.5–0.6 μg | 2B |
| 2-nitropropane | 0.7–1.2 ng | 2B | |
| Nitrobenzene | 25 μg | 2B | |
| Volatile compounds | Benzene | 12–50 μg | 1 |
| 1,3-butadiene | 20–40 μg | 2A | |
| Isoprene | 450–1,000 μg | 2B | |
| Aldehydes | Formaldehyde | 10.3–25 μg | 1 |
| Acetaldehyde | 770–864 μg | 2B |