Nicotine is physically addictive and can have harmful side effects. Recent studies link nicotine to various types of cancer, and the lethal dosage for a 150 lb male is 60 mg. Nicotine is also used as an insecticide.
Nicotine in high doses acts as an effective nerve poison and can have a number of potentially harmful side effects. It is extremely physically addictive, although estimates of the exact degree of addiction vary wildly from very low levels to those rivaling those of heroin or cocaine. When taken in large doses, greater than nearly anyone can achieve through smoking, it can induce severe nausea or vomiting. In small doses, it can raise blood pressure, which can prove harmful or, in very rare cases, be fatal for those with life-threatening heart disease.
A number of recent studies have strongly linked nicotine itself to various types of cancer. This means that in addition to the cancer risks posed by tar through smoking, the chemical itself increases a smoker’s chances of developing cancer. It also means that those who use patches and gums are also increasing the likelihood of getting cancer. This link is thought to be caused by a property of the chemical that delays the body’s ability to shed damaged cells, giving cancer cells more time to develop.
The lethal dosage of nicotine for a 150 lb (68 kg) male is 60 mg. This is inferior to both arsenic and strychnine. American cigarettes contain about 9 mg each (compared to 19 mg in a New Zealand cigarette, for example), but after combustion, only about 1 mg enters the body over the course of smoking a full cigarette. While this results in amounts well below the lethal dosage, over time this venom can weaken the immune system and cause fatigue and other minor illnesses.
Much more enters the body through chewing tobacco and lots of plasters and gums than through cigarette smoke; Nicotine levels should be monitored when using these delivery methods. While gums and patches have maximum recommended doses, tobacco chewers should be aware of how much chemical they are sending directly into their bloodstream. A medium pinch of chew held on the cheek for half an hour provides as much as smoking three or four cigarettes.
Nicotine is also a very powerful insecticide, used as a natural alternative to chemicals for pest control. In most marketed forms, it contains 40% pure nicotine sulphate, mixed with water and sprayed on crops. When used in warm weather, it provides optimum results, rapidly reducing to non-toxic levels and allowing for widespread use on food crops, even very close to harvest.
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