4 ms·

Would organic tobacco avoid the issue of Polonium then?

by zymhan 10y ago

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
pboutros 10y ago
Only if organic fertilizer is immune to that.
- zymhan 10y ago
  Yeah, I suppose a better question is what fertilizer is used on organic tobacco. But u/searine mentioned that mined phosphate can be used on organic crops so maybe organic tobacco won't avoid the problem.
qb45 10y ago
That's an interesting question because it's the first time I hear about radium in artificial fertilizers. Will need to dig into these Wikipedia sources. That tobacco contains lead and polonium had been known for decades, but I used to think that it originated from the decay of natural atmospheric radon and these plants just had some unusual tendency to accumulate heavy metals. Maybe I should put my tinfoil hat on and run away from non-organic food too? edit: From the first source: Tobacco farmers in developed countries primarily use manufactured fertilizer high in phosphates produced from apatite rock that contains radium-226 and descendant radioisotopes such as lead-210 and PO-210. Tobacco is a unique agricultural crop in that its flavor depends on nitrogen reduction, which occurs through the repeated application of high-phosphate fertilizers. The higher the phosphate level of the fertilizer, the higher the concentration of PO-210 in the tobacco plant. Tobacco grown in certain developing countries has approximately one third less radioactivity than tobacco grown in developed countries, and the radioactivity of tobacco grown in the United States has increased over time. So maybe you are right.
- searine 10y ago
  The USDA Organic label allows for mined phosphate and potassium to be used on organic farms.
Raphmedia 10y ago
The safest way possible to smoke tobacco is to grow it yourself. The small yields will limit you to smoking only a few time a month. You will want to taste that homegrown tobacco so you will most likely invest in a good old wooden pipe. This will make it so that you don't inhale the smoke into your lungs. You will however still be at risk of mouth and throat cancer.
- JoeAltmaier 10y ago
  There's a risk from radioactive elements in the tobacco, from the air which in turn is from the fertilizer used. Maybe growing it yourself doesn't change this risk?
  - Raphmedia 10y ago
    I did say "safest" and not "safe". Combusting tobacco is the worst way to get nicotine.
- hfsktr 10y ago
  How would using a pipe prevent you from inhaling the smoke? I have never used one (but I was always curious when I smoked) so maybe it's a silly question.
  - Raphmedia 10y ago
    When smoking a pipe or cigar the way to do it is to fill your mouth with smoke and then blow it out. You don't inhale it.
    - teilo 10y ago
      Unless you are also a cigarette smoker as well, and many of them do inhale cigars and pipes.
      - Raphmedia 10y ago
        No need. Nicotine is absorbed by the soft tissues of the mouth. Inhaling prevents you from "correctly" smoking a pipe. Take a look at this (formatting mine): "The Breath Smoking Technique It requires a relaxed setting, preferably sedentary and a very slow and calm breathing pattern. The pipe bit is held to the lips continuously and all breathing is through the nose. Every 2nd or 3rd slow breath through the nose, a tiny puff is taken through the stem, held in the mouth and slowly, very slowly, discharged back through the stem, raising but the faintest wisp of smoke from the top of the tobacco bowl, and then re-drawn back through the stem. One does NOT inhale the smoke, but if one gets very good at it, one does not even have to puff: the slight vacuum created in the mouth by nose breathing will draw the finest of puffs through the stem. The blowing back through the stem is alternated with regular, but very slight puffs so that the whole process of smoking seems as natural, regular and effortless as breathing. I'm sure many smokers have discovered this technique, or variations of it, on their own. The advantages are that mastering it will produce the coolest and most flavorful smoke possible, and the slow regular breathing will invoke the calmness and clarity of mind to perceive the results at their fullest." - http://www.glpease.com/Articles/BreathSmoking.html http://www.glpease.com/Articles/BreathSmoking.html That being said, it's all a matter of preference. You can smoke a pipe like a cigarette if it makes you happy. There is no pipe police.
Alex3917 10y ago
Keep in mind that the majority of tobacco deaths aren't cancer related.
- ghurtado 10y ago
  Heart disease?
  - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 10y ago
    https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/ https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/heal... There's a good table of this about halfway down the page. Looks like cancer is the single largest cause, accounting for about 2/5ths of the deaths.
    - zymhan 10y ago
      So a plurality. GP is splitting hairs then.
searine 10y ago
No, mined phosphorus has radioactive elements in it. Mining and it's by products are perfectly "organic".
- qb45 10y ago
  Most mining products are very much inorganic, oil being a notable exception ;)

Would organic tobacco avoid the issue of Polonium then?

by zymhan 10y ago

Would organic tobacco avoid the issue of Polonium then?

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

pboutros 10y ago

Only if organic fertilizer is immune to that.

zymhan 10y ago
Yeah, I suppose a better question is what fertilizer is used on organic tobacco. But u/searine mentioned that mined phosphate can be used on organic crops so maybe organic tobacco won't avoid the problem.

qb45 10y ago

That's an interesting question because it's the first time I hear about radium in artificial fertilizers. Will need to dig into these Wikipedia sources. That tobacco contains lead and polonium had been known for decades, but I used to think that it originated from the decay of natural atmospheric radon and these plants just had some unusual tendency to accumulate heavy metals. Maybe I should put my tinfoil hat on and run away from non-organic food too? edit: From the first source: Tobacco farmers in developed countries primarily use manufactured fertilizer high in phosphates produced from apatite rock that contains radium-226 and descendant radioisotopes such as lead-210 and PO-210. Tobacco is a unique agricultural crop in that its flavor depends on nitrogen reduction, which occurs through the repeated application of high-phosphate fertilizers. The higher the phosphate level of the fertilizer, the higher the concentration of PO-210 in the tobacco plant. Tobacco grown in certain developing countries has approximately one third less radioactivity than tobacco grown in developed countries, and the radioactivity of tobacco grown in the United States has increased over time. So maybe you are right.

searine 10y ago
The USDA Organic label allows for mined phosphate and potassium to be used on organic farms.

Raphmedia 10y ago

The safest way possible to smoke tobacco is to grow it yourself. The small yields will limit you to smoking only a few time a month. You will want to taste that homegrown tobacco so you will most likely invest in a good old wooden pipe. This will make it so that you don't inhale the smoke into your lungs. You will however still be at risk of mouth and throat cancer.

JoeAltmaier 10y ago
There's a risk from radioactive elements in the tobacco, from the air which in turn is from the fertilizer used. Maybe growing it yourself doesn't change this risk?
- Raphmedia 10y ago
  I did say "safest" and not "safe". Combusting tobacco is the worst way to get nicotine.
hfsktr 10y ago
How would using a pipe prevent you from inhaling the smoke? I have never used one (but I was always curious when I smoked) so maybe it's a silly question.
- Raphmedia 10y ago
  When smoking a pipe or cigar the way to do it is to fill your mouth with smoke and then blow it out. You don't inhale it.
  - teilo 10y ago
    Unless you are also a cigarette smoker as well, and many of them do inhale cigars and pipes.
    - Raphmedia 10y ago
      No need. Nicotine is absorbed by the soft tissues of the mouth. Inhaling prevents you from "correctly" smoking a pipe. Take a look at this (formatting mine): "The Breath Smoking Technique It requires a relaxed setting, preferably sedentary and a very slow and calm breathing pattern. The pipe bit is held to the lips continuously and all breathing is through the nose. Every 2nd or 3rd slow breath through the nose, a tiny puff is taken through the stem, held in the mouth and slowly, very slowly, discharged back through the stem, raising but the faintest wisp of smoke from the top of the tobacco bowl, and then re-drawn back through the stem. One does NOT inhale the smoke, but if one gets very good at it, one does not even have to puff: the slight vacuum created in the mouth by nose breathing will draw the finest of puffs through the stem. The blowing back through the stem is alternated with regular, but very slight puffs so that the whole process of smoking seems as natural, regular and effortless as breathing. I'm sure many smokers have discovered this technique, or variations of it, on their own. The advantages are that mastering it will produce the coolest and most flavorful smoke possible, and the slow regular breathing will invoke the calmness and clarity of mind to perceive the results at their fullest." - http://www.glpease.com/Articles/BreathSmoking.html http://www.glpease.com/Articles/BreathSmoking.html That being said, it's all a matter of preference. You can smoke a pipe like a cigarette if it makes you happy. There is no pipe police.

Alex3917 10y ago

Keep in mind that the majority of tobacco deaths aren't cancer related.

ghurtado 10y ago
Heart disease?
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 10y ago
  https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/ https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/heal... There's a good table of this about halfway down the page. Looks like cancer is the single largest cause, accounting for about 2/5ths of the deaths.
  - zymhan 10y ago
    So a plurality. GP is splitting hairs then.

searine 10y ago

No, mined phosphorus has radioactive elements in it. Mining and it's by products are perfectly "organic".

qb45 10y ago
Most mining products are very much inorganic, oil being a notable exception ;)