Nicotine deaths caused

With the exception of nicotine, the agricultural chemicals derived from plants are probably among the least hazardous to man (6). Nicotine itself is one of the most efficient insecticides. Nicotine can cause serious poisoning or death if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. 

Smoking leads to respiratory problems other than lung cancer. It causes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lower resistance to flu and pneumonia. It worsens asthma symptoms in adults and children. As these problems persist, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, airway obstruction) develops. Eighty to 85% of deaths due to COPD are from smoking. The role of nicotine in chronic lung diseases such as COPD, emphysema, and asthma is uncertain. However it is known that nicotine can cause an enzyme to be released which is able to destroy parts of the lungs as is seen in emphysema. 

Pesticides include such a diversity of chemical types that it is not surprising that their toxicity covers a very wide range. For example, as little as 100 mg of mevinphos or of nicotine may cause death, whereas... 

Cytisine. This base belongs to the same pharmacological group as nicotine.It is a powerful poison causing nausea, convulsions and death by failure of respiration. The nicotine-like action is shared by A -methyl-cytisine but the latter, according to Scott and Chen, who have made a detailed study of its action, is weaker and has about one-fortieth the toxicity of nicotine. 

According to Camus, hordenine is of low toxicity, but in large doses it causes death by arrest of respiration. It is less active than adrenaline but analogous in its action, resembling ephedrine rather than adrenaline. Barger and Dale found that the methiodide had a marked nicotine-... 

Smoking tobacco causes damage to endothelial cells due to free radicals present in tobacco smoke. It is estimated that each puff of a cigarette produces lO " free radicals. In addition, the resultant lack of oxygen causes damage or death to neurones, and nicotine and carbon monoxide, both present in tobacco smoke, cause an increase in blood pressure. 

In terms of numbers affected, addiction to nicotine exceeds all other forms of addiction, touching more than 50% of all adults in some countries. Nicotine exposure occurs primarily through smoking of tobacco, which causes associated diseases that are responsible for many preventable deaths. The chronic use of chewing tobacco and snuff tobacco is also addictive. 

Today, our perception of nicotine has been altered principally by the consequences of the vehicle for nicotine administration, the tobacco plant. In the United States alone, tobacco use causes almost one death every minute, or the equivalent of four major airline crashes daily, similarly to what occurred on September n, 2001. If we had to witness that tragedy every day, just imagine the public outcry for greater federal control of tobacco. Sadly, because of politics and the fact that tobacco sales (and their taxes) are such a boon to the U.S. economy, this is not likely to ever occur to such a degree as to ban these sales completely. Meanwhile, people will continue to die from tobacco use and will do so one at a time at home or in a hospital room, not in large groups on the evening news. 

Ingestion of 60 mg of nicotine can be fatal to an adult. This is an amount that might be ingested with exposure to some insecticide sprays. A smaller amount is toxic to children and pets who accidentally ingest tobacco products. Tobacco pickers and patients on nicotine replacement therapy who continue to smoke have also experienced nicotine toxicity. Symptoms include salivation, dizziness, vomiting, tremors, convulsions, and severely low blood pressure. Death may result in a few minutes due to respiratory failure caused by lung paralysis. 

Two of the drugs that cause major problems for users and those around them are legal. Drunk driving and alcoholism are responsible for numerous deaths. Nicotine is responsible for more deaths than illegal drugs. 

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