tar, formaldehyde, and benzene are all added to cigarettes. Tar is a binder, the formaldehyde is a preservative, and benzene is an accelerant. The problem is that all of these things are toxic and/or cancerous.

Smoking loose leaf tobacco is the healthiest way to do it if that’s what you want to do. The little foam filters in cigarettes do nothing and the additives added to processed tobacco make it much more unhealthy.