tobacco leaf

The dried and cured leaves of the plant, Nicotiana tabacum

Why is it in cigarettes?

• Nicotine occurs naturally in tobacco leaves
• Burning tobacco releases nicotine particles in the smoke, providing a way to deliver nicotine to people.

What does it mean?

• The level of nicotine in a cigarette can be engineered exactly by choosing tobacco leaf mix and processing methods.

More...

"Cigarette tobacco is blended from two main leaf varieties: yellowish 'bright', also known as Virginia where it was originally grown, contains 2.5-3% nicotine; and 'burley' tobacco which has a higher nicotine content (3.5-4%). US blends also contain up to 10% of imported oriental tobacco which is aromatic but relatively low (less than 2%) in nicotine.[2]"[1]

In addition to these varieties, at least one strain of tobacco has been developed with super-high nicotine levels, over 6%.

Although high-nicotine varieties are too harsh when smoked directly, processing methods for the tobacco leaf change how the nicotine becomes available to the smoker.This method, producing "expanded tobacco", involves "heating shreds of cured tobacco with liquid carbon dioxide in a chamber. The carbon dioxide turns to vapor and puffs the dry tobacco up like Rice Krispies."[3] This means it takes less tobaco to fill the tobacco rod, and with a high-nicotine tobacco leaf, releases the nicotine more smoothly.

References

[1] pamphlet, available online: Action on Smoking and Health, Fact Sheets: The Constituents of Tobacco Smoke July 2000. - see: http://www.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact12.html

[2] book: Milne, A. Smoking&emm;the inside story. Woodside Communications, 1998.

[3] newspaper article, available online: The Standard-Times, The New Standard, "Big tobacco's big lie to the world", August 13, 1998 - see: http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-98/09-13-98/a09wn033.htm

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