A Small Dose of Nicotine

• An Introduction into the Health Effects of Nicotine

Nicotine Dossier

• Name: Nicotine
• Use: pesticide, drug in tobacco
• Source: tobacco
• Recommended daily intake: none (not essential)
• Absorption: lung, skin, stomach (poor), intestine (better), (poor absorption in the stomach because nicotine is a strong base)
• Sensitive individuals: fetus, children
• Toxicity/symptoms: dependency producing, acute effects: nausea, vomiting, salivation, diarrhea, dizziness, mental confusion, weakness
• Regulatory facts: RfD (none), LD50 10 mg/kg, not currently regulated but legislation is being considered to allow regulation by FDA
• General facts: long history of use; produces dependency in user
• Environmental: growing demand for cigarettes in developing countries
• Recommendations: avoid

Nicotine Chapter

• A Small Dose of Nicotine - chapter pdf

PowerPoint presentation

• A Small Dose of Nicotine - PowerPoint presentation

More Information and References

European, Asian, and international Agencies

• England - Department of Health - Public Health and Tobacco. (accessed: 24 August 2008).

• Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. (accessed: 27 August 2008). "An international society with a mission to stimulate the generation of new knowledge concerning nicotine in all its manifestations – from molecular to societal."

• World Health Organization (WHO). (accessed: 27 August 2008). Covers tobacco and international efforts to track and reduce use of tobacco.

• National Tobacco Information Online System (NATIONS). (accessed: 27 August 2008). "The National Tobacco Information Online System (NATIONS) is an electronically integrated information system containing country-specific information on a wide variety of tobacco control issues."

• Pan American Tobacco Information Online System (PATIOS). (accessed: 27 August 2008). PATIOS is a web based information system containing country-specific data on a wide variety of tobacco control topics.

North American Agencies

• Health Canada - Tobacco (CDC). (accessed: 27 August 2008). Heath Canada information on the health effects of tobacco products.

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (accessed: 27 August 2008). US CDC site has multiple listing on health, tobacco and nicotine.

• US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (accessed: 27 August 2008). US NIDA site has general information on nicotine.

• US Medline plus - Smoking Tobacco. (accessed: 27 August 2008). Site has many good reference on smoking tobacco.

Non-Government Organizations

• [Neuroscience For Kids - Nicotine.http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nic.html. (accessed: 27 August 2008). Addresses the health effects of tobacco and nicotine.

• Society for Neuroscience (SfN). (accessed: 27 August 2008). This article is part of the SfN series on Brain Briefing, this one cover nicotine and the brain.

• Tobacco and Nicotine - The Vaults of Erowid. (accessed: 27 August 2008). Site has a wide range of information on tobacco and nicotine.

References

• Lang, J. (1997). The Divine Origin of Tobacco. Winds of Change, 12(3), 55-59. (http://wocmag.org/1997/s97cont.html)

• MMWR (1993). Green Tobacco Sickness in Tobacco Harvesters – Kentucky, 1992. Vol 42, No 13;237 April 9, 1993. Online: <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00020119.htm> (accessed: 28 August, 2008). Rabin, R.L., Sugarman, S.D. (eds) (2001). Regulating Tobacco. Oxford University Press, USA.