News Release

Gardeners Get Better Warnings Than Smokers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

San Diego, CA -- Gardeners get better warnings about the risks of using tobacco than smokers do, according to a California physician. Tobacco is a toxic pesticide as well as a commonly inhaled substance, and the warnings given to gardeners are much more thorough than those given to smokers, physician Bruce N. Leistikow, M.D., of the University of California, Davis, reported to a gathering of health researchers Saturday. Leistokow and two colleagues presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, a worldwide group of researchers studying tobacco use prevention and cessation.

As a pesticide, tobacco features a warning indicating that tobacco is harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through skin. Leistikow and his colleagues traced the history of tobacco as a pesticide, noting that warnings indicate that it is "toxic to fish and wildlife," and that birds feeding in tobacco-treated areas may die.

In contrast, cigarettes are sold to be inhaled. They bear no warnings in some parts of the world, and in the U.S. carry warnings that many deem too mild, such as "Cigarette smoking contains carbon monoxide."

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