This is a list of 599 additives that could be added to tobacco cigarettes. The ABC News program Day One first released the list to the public on March 7, 1994.[1] It was submitted to the United States Department of Health and Human Services in April 1994.[2][3][4] They are also listed in the documents that are part of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.[5] It applies, as documented, only to American manufactured cigarettes intended for distribution within the United States by the listed companies. The five major tobacco companies that reported the information were:
One significant issue is that while all these chemical compounds have been approved as additives to food, they were not tested by burning. Burning changes the properties of chemicals. Burning creates additional toxic compounds, including carcinogens.[6] According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute: "Of the more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Among the 250 known harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 69 can cause cancer."[7][2][8][9]
Although many of these additives are used in making cigarettes, each cigarette does not contain all of these additives. Some of these additives are found in cigarettes outside the USA too.[10]
Some American brands are sold in other nations. For example: Marlboro, L&M, Winston, Chesterfield, Kent, and Newport.[11][12]