# How many chemicals are added to Tobacco?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-chemicals-are-added-to-tobacco/261374>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 25, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-chemicals-are-added-to-tobacco/261374 "2004-08-25T01:43:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-chemicals-are-added-to-tobacco/261374/1 "2004-08-25T01:43:28Z")

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From what I know tobacco in cigarettes contains hundreds of added chemicals ,so would it be safer to get my own tobacco leafs, dry it and make my own cagarettes.?  
Long time ago there were available and maybe still are empty cigarettes hules with fillter and I used to make cigarettes but tobacco I had to buy anyway.  
So ,my question to you what is the difference in tobacco freshly dried and tobacco from Marllboros or Camells?

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-chemicals-are-added-to-tobacco/261374/2 "2004-08-25T02:35:54Z")

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After watching a Nova episode “The Search for a Safer Cigarette” I was very surprised to learn that it isn’t really any added chemicals (or even the nicotine) which makes cigarette smoke so unhealthy. Its simply the high temperature (around 1100°F) at which it burns. This is how almost all the carcenoginic elements get created.

So as long as you still burn it it isn’t going to be any safer.