Used for centuries by cultures throughout the world, there are few plants as storied as the tobacco plant. Despite its use by 1.337 billion people worldwide (World Health Organization, 2018), many consumers are still a bit fuzzy on what tobacco really is, where it comes from, how it’s grown, what types of chemicals it produces, the potential health concerns, and more. In this guide, we explore everything there is to know about tobacco, answering some of the most pressing questions about this culturally significant and historical plant.
What is Tobacco?
Description, Habitat, and Taxonomy
Description
The tobacco plant is a herbaceous perennial or annual plant that typically reaches between 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8 meters) in height by the peak of the growing season. The plant’s stems are green, hairy, and thick, featuring stems that end in large oval elliptical leaves. These leaves are the most agriculturally important aspect of the plant. Growing up to 20 inches long and 10 inches wide, it is the leaves that are harvested for tobacco use in a wide range of products.
During the flowering stage of the growth cycle, tobacco produces large tubular clusters of flowers ranging from red and pink to white. Each tubular cluster can reach between 3.5-5.5 centimeters (1.25-2 inches) in length.
Taxonomy
Tobacco refers to the dried leaves of tobacco plants — several plants in the genus Nicotiana. To date, more than 60 different species of tobacco plants have been discovered. However, the plant that most people associate with tobacco, as well as that cultivated to make commercial tobacco, is Nicotiana tabacum.
Taxonomy of Nicotiana tabacum
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Solanales
- Family: Solanaceae
- Genus: Nicotiana L.
- Species: Nicotiana tabacum L. (i.e., cultivated tobacco)
Origin and Habitat
These herbaceous plants are indigenous to the Americas, Australia, southwest Africa, and the South Pacific. Historically, Nicotiana tabacum was originally cultivated in the Caribbean by the indigenous people who lived there. Although the plant is native to tropical and subtropical America, in modern times, the plant has been cultivated throughout the world. Due to its widespread production, tobacco is rarely found in the wild. Instead, tobacco is grown in hotbeds or cold frames as seedlings in large manufacturing plants and then transported to larger fields when they reach maturity.
Types of Tobacco
- Brightleaf Tobacco: Commonly referred to as “Virginia tobacco,” this variety is lighter, milder, and more aromatic compared to traditionally ‘fire-cured’ tobacco.
- Aromatic Fire Cured: This variety is cured using smoke from open fires and is most commonly grown in Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
- Broadleaf: A notably dark variety, made popular for its large and durable wrapping leaves.
- Cavendish: A process for cutting and curing tobacco, with the intent of bringing out the naturally sweet flavor of the leaves.
- Burley Tobacco: An air-cured type most commonly used in cigarettes.
- Criollo Tobacco: Among the original tobaccos used in Cuban cigars, dating back to the time of Columbus.
- Turkish Tobacco: A small leaf, sun-cured variety grown throughout Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, and Macedonia, used in pipe tobacco blends and cigarettes.
- Dokha: Originating from Iran, often mixed with herbs, bark, and leaves when smoked in a type of hookah.
- Shade Tobacco: Cultivated throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, this tobacco dates back to early colonial days and Native American tribal use.
- Perique: Developed in 1824, this variety is considered the ‘truffle of pipe tobaccos’ but is usually too strong to be smoked on its own.
- White Burley: A milder variety of air-cured leaves founded back in 1865.
- Wild Tobacco: Indigenous to Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and parts of South America.
What are the Chemical Contents of Tobacco?
According to the FDA, tobacco naturally contains several harmful chemicals, including but not limited to:
- Nicotine
- Lead
- Cadmium
- Nitrates
- Trace fertilizers
The FDA reports that these ‘natural’ chemicals can be harmful if ingested, smoked, or chewed, stating that as the plants grow, the concentration of harmful chemicals builds up and concentrates in the leaves.
Tobacco leaves also contain several different alkaloid compounds, including nornicotine, neonicotine, anatabine, and myosmine, as well as polyphenols and micronutrients that naturally occur in plants. Individual plants may contain different concentrations of chemical compounds, depending largely on their maturity, environmental conditions, and what products growers choose to use on plants.
Tobacco Smoke
Chemical Soup
Tobacco smoke is made up of thousands of different chemicals, many of which have been linked to causing cancer. To date, the FDA has identified nearly 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including known caustic and cancer-causing agents such as lead, cadmium, acrolein, acetaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrosamines, and 1,3-butadiene.
Nicotine
Of these chemicals, nicotine is one of the most widely known. While nicotine itself is not a carcinogen, it is the major chemical compound responsible for the addictive nature of tobacco products. When heated and inhaled (such as with smoking or vaping), nicotine has been shown to damage DNA, increasing the risk of developing cancer and other medical conditions. All tobacco products contain nicotine, which has immediate relaxation effects as well as stimulation. Nicotine acts as a stimulant in low doses but can be a nervous system depressant in high doses; in extremely high doses, it can depress the respiratory system enough to be lethal. Chronic exposure changes brain chemistry, resulting in dependence and withdrawal symptoms.
How is Tobacco Grown, Harvested, and Cured?
Tobacco is not a difficult plant to grow; however, it is a difficult plant to harvest and cure without the appropriate facilities or tools. Tobacco plants are part of the same family as tomato plants, peppers, and eggplants. As such, they like similar growing conditions: full sun and well-drained soil. Without full sun, expect spindly looking plants, stunted growth, and small leaves. Plants will also grow poorly or die without an appropriate drainage system. It takes approximately 180 to 190 days for a tobacco plant to reach full harvest. Soil pH should waver around 5.8 for its best growth. The most common pests for these plants are budworms, aphids, and hornworms.
Harvesting and Curing Tobacco
Harvesting and curing tobacco is a lengthy and involved process. Once tobacco plants reach 70 to 130 days, the entire plant is cut and hung on a large tobacco stick. Leaves are then harvested at intervals while they mature. To prevent breakage before curing, tobacco leaves are left to wilt for a few hours to two days. Curing involves four major steps: wilting, yellowing, coloring, and drying. Each step is highly regulated to ensure the desired properties. The most common methods for curing are by air, fire, or flue. Air curing takes around two months and is accomplished by mechanical ventilation in buildings. The fire curing process is similar, except open wood fires are lit while the tobacco hangs until the desired finish has been attained — up to 10 weeks. Finally, the flue process happens in a small barn constructed with metal pipes called flues. These flues conduct heat into the barn from attached furnaces; the process takes four to eight days.
What are the Environmental Impacts of Tobacco Agriculture?
Pesticides and Chemicals
Tobacco production has a staggeringly negative impact on the environment. Since commercial tobacco has such a high demand, it’s grown as a monocrop, independent from rotation with other crops. This results in soil vulnerability to a variety of pests, and the solution requires an outstanding amount of pesticides and dangerous chemicals to encourage production. Toxic chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers seep into the soil and endanger the lives of the people who work with the plants.
Deforestation
Additionally, tobacco production results in widespread deforestation to find room to produce massive amounts of tobacco plants. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.5 billion hectares of forests have been lost to tobacco production since the 1970s. Deforestation results in a significant loss of biodiversity and contributes to climate change and rising CO2 levels. An estimated 11.4 million metric tons of wood are required for the tobacco curing process, and even more is required for tobacco rolling papers. Cigarettes, alone, require some of the highest environmental costs. These include the chemicals used in tobacco leaf preparation, metals to help manufacture and ship the cigarette-making machines, and energy from coal or gas to manufacture and distribute products.
What are the Different Products Made from Tobacco and What are Their Characteristics?
Cigarettes
Cigarettes rank among the most popular forms of tobacco products, with about a billion smokers worldwide. In the US alone, the CDC reports that nearly 14% of all adults age 18 and older smoke cigarettes (as of 2019), which equates to about 34.1 million adults. Factory-made cigarettes are more popular in the United States, while rolling tobacco is more common in other countries in the European Union, the UK, and Canada. Contrary to popular belief, roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes are not safer than factory-made cigarettes. Even herbal cigarettes are not a safe option for smokers because they contain carcinogens and other harmful chemicals produced by their burning.
Cigarettes can be broken down into several major components, including the tobacco blend (an equal mixture of flue-cured, air-cured, and oriental), paper, chemical additives, filter materials, and fire safety bands. On average, cigarettes take about 12 minutes to smoke, contain more than 7,000 different chemicals, and take 18 years to break down.
Cigars
Cigars are tobacco rolls (air-cured or dried) that are wrapped in tobacco leaves or a substance containing tobacco. Common types of cigars include large cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars. Large cigars can contain as much tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes. In 2019, 2.3% of adults in the United States reported that they smoke cigars, little cigars, or cigarillos, according to the CDC. Unlike cigarettes, cigars are not inhaled into the lungs; rather, they are meant to be enjoyed slowly, allowing the smoke to linger in the mouth. Inhaling cigar smoke leads to severe nicotine poisoning because nicotine is absorbed slowly. Smokers who switch from cigarettes to cigars should be aware that cigars are not safer than cigarettes. Cigar smoke contains more toxins than cigarette smoke.
Other Tobacco Products
- Hookah: A large water pipe with a smoke chamber, a bowl, a pipe, and a hose. It is commonly used to smoke specially made tobacco called shisha. Hookah smokers typically smoke longer than cigarette smokers, exposing themselves to more toxins.
- Chewing Tobacco: Loose tobacco leaves are placed between the cheek and gums. Users spit out the brown saliva created by the process. Chewing tobacco has many of the same chemicals as cigarette smoke.
- Snuff: Powdered or finely ground tobacco that can be snorted, placed in the cheek, or chewed. Snuff often comes in tins and is flavored.
- Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): These include e-cigarettes, vapes, and other smokeless devices. The tobacco is heated to create a vapor that is inhaled. ENDS products are not safer than traditional tobacco products. Many of them contain high amounts of nicotine and other chemicals. ENDS products often attract youth and non-smokers to nicotine consumption.
What are the Health Risks of Using Tobacco?
Cardiovascular Disease
Nicotine consumption increases blood pressure, which harms cardiovascular health. People who consume tobacco products have a higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
Respiratory Diseases
Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke increase the risk of developing respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Cigarette smoke damages the lungs and airways, causing inflammation and a buildup of mucus.
Cancer
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable cancer and cancer-related deaths. It is a risk factor for lung cancer, oral cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, bladder cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
Other Health Risks
Tobacco use is linked to other health problems such as gum disease, tooth loss, premature aging, reduced fertility, complications in pregnancy, low birth weight in infants, and weakened immune systems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tobacco is a plant with a rich history and significant cultural impact. However, the health risks associated with its use, as well as its environmental impact, are considerable. Understanding the origins, production, and effects of tobacco can help consumers make informed decisions and potentially mitigate some of its negative impacts.
Works Cited
- World Health Organization. “WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2019: Offer help to quit tobacco use.” 2019.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use Among People of All Ages.” 2019.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Chemicals in Tobacco Products and Your Health.” 2020.
