- Tar (tobacco residue)
Tar is the common name for the
resin ous partially combusted particulate matter produced by the burning oftobacco ,cannabis , and other plant material in the act of smoking. Tar is purportedlyFact|date=August 2008 the most destructive component in habitualtobacco smoking , accumulating in the smoker'slungs over time and damaging them through various biochemical and mechanical processes.Tar includes the majority of
mutagen ic andcarcinogen ic agents in tobacco smoke (IARC, 1986).Fact|date=August 2008Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon s (PAH), for example, aregenotoxic viaepoxidation .Fact|date=August 2008There is a common misconception that the tar in
cigarette s is equivalent to thetar used on roads.Fact|date=August 2008 As a result of this, cigarette companies in theUnited States , when prompted to give tar/nicotine ratings for cigarettes, usually use "tar", in quotation marks, to indicate that it is not the road surface component. Tar is occasionally referred to as an acronym for "total aerosol residue" [ [http://www.batmalaysia.com/oneweb/sites/BAT_62VKM3.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/C1256ED100527AA380256BF4000331A9?opendocument&DTC=&SID= Cigarette Manufacturer and Production - British American Tobacco Malaysia - Tar and Nicotine ] ] although it's possible this is abackronym .Fact|date=August 2008The
European Union currently limits the tar yield of cigarettes to 10mg. [ [http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/cha/c11567.htm SCADPlus: Manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products ] ]References
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