Ammonia use in household products: the smoking gun?

Ammonia use in household products like cleaning agents has declined over the years due to safety concerns and the rise of eco-friendly alternatives. While there isn't specific historical data available on the exact usage of ammonia in household products over the last 50 years, this line graph illustrates the trend based on known factors such as increased awareness of chemical safety, the rise of green alternatives, and shifts in cleaning product formulations. This can represent a general idea of how ammonia use may have fluctuated over time.

The following graph shows the trend of ammonia use in household products and lung cancer incidence over the last 50 years. The ammonia use trend is represented by a solid blue line, while lung cancer incidence is shown by a dashed red line:

The third graph includes another line (green) representing the evolution of smokers over the same period.

Ammonia is often added to cigarettes. It is used as part of the manufacturing process to enhance nicotine absorption. Ammonia works by altering the pH level of the tobacco, which allows nicotine to be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream, making cigarettes more addictive. This technique is sometimes referred to as "freebasing" nicotine, similar to how certain drugs are processed to increase their potency.

Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it is striking nonetheless.

Why Are Women Who Never Smoked Getting Lung Cancer? Women make up about two-thirds of lung cancer cases in never-smokers. {article}

A wide range of commercial cleaning products contains ammonia, such as window and glass cleaners, furniture polish, all-purpose cleaners, stainless-less steel cleaners, floor polishing waxes, toilet cleaners, and oven cleaners. {ref}