Pesticides in Pipe Tobacco?
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How about Malathion? Banned in CA, perhaps the rest of the county- but abroad?
I've always assumed our gov't nannies kept us safe.... How wrong am I???
I've always assumed our gov't nannies kept us safe.... How wrong am I???
OK, I don't have any cites for this, but IIRC, there are US gubbmint standards for pesticide/herbacide content of imported tobacco, but not for domestic tobacco. I suppose the reasoning is that they are looking for pesticides in foreign tobacco that are restricted from use in the US. Just how often and exactly how spot checks are conducted is anyone's guess. Further, I think that Cosmic's well-informed post about how farmers are educated on chemical use speaks to why chemical residue on US-grown leaf is most likely less of an issue.
Brazil, supposedly, is the biggest exporter of tobacco in the world. They do about $199 million in business with the U.S.
Perhaps there are good background checks on the imports to test for banned pesticides. It may be worth knowing. The laws around such things in Brazil are lax, and when in place, are rarely enforced.
So, yes, maybe it is good that your "nanny" government is watching your ass. There's a lot of people and places out there that will clap their hands with glee if they can slip one through at the expense of your health. But, seriously, we are talking tobacco here. That stuff is going to kill you either way. I'd be concerned about the fruits, etc. instead.
When I live in Brazil, I can't source organic food. It's too hard to come by. So, I scrub everything like I was brushing my teeth before my first date in school. Sometimes I can see powdery residue on my fruits that I can not explain. It's just the way it is.
I wish their government was legit and working for the people, but they're not. They're corrupt as hell and the agriculture lobby, which is particularly awful here, runs a big part of the show.
So... you know, just enjoy that Brazilian leaf and don't overthink it, I guess. They make some solid cigars too!
Perhaps there are good background checks on the imports to test for banned pesticides. It may be worth knowing. The laws around such things in Brazil are lax, and when in place, are rarely enforced.
So, yes, maybe it is good that your "nanny" government is watching your ass. There's a lot of people and places out there that will clap their hands with glee if they can slip one through at the expense of your health. But, seriously, we are talking tobacco here. That stuff is going to kill you either way. I'd be concerned about the fruits, etc. instead.
When I live in Brazil, I can't source organic food. It's too hard to come by. So, I scrub everything like I was brushing my teeth before my first date in school. Sometimes I can see powdery residue on my fruits that I can not explain. It's just the way it is.
I wish their government was legit and working for the people, but they're not. They're corrupt as hell and the agriculture lobby, which is particularly awful here, runs a big part of the show.
So... you know, just enjoy that Brazilian leaf and don't overthink it, I guess. They make some solid cigars too!
Some interesting reading:
USGAO report on pesticide and tobacco, 2003
"Tobacco is a high-value, pesticide-intensive crop. That is, tobacco is the nation’s ninth highest valued crop,and in terms of the amount of pesticide applied per acre, tobacco ranks sixth—behind potatoes, tomatoes, citrus, grapes, and apples. In the United States, tobacco is grown in 16 states, 2 of which—Kentucky and North Carolin—produce about two-thirds of all domestic tobacco."
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The Tobacco Industry and Pesticide Regulations: Case Studies from Tobacco Industry Archives, 2005
"Tobacco is a pesticide-intensive crop. With nearly 27 million pounds of pesticides (including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and suckercides) applied to the U.S.-grown crop from 1994 to 1998, it ranks sixth in terms of the amount of pesticides applied per acre [U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) 2003]. The tobacco industry regards pesticides as essential to tobacco production, stating that “the crop could not be produced economically without them” (Davis 1989; Philip Morris 1990b). According to industry documents, government-imposed limitations on pesticide use “may present a serious impediment” to the international tobacco trade (Hill 1989)."
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USGAO report on pesticide and tobacco, 2003
"Tobacco is a high-value, pesticide-intensive crop. That is, tobacco is the nation’s ninth highest valued crop,and in terms of the amount of pesticide applied per acre, tobacco ranks sixth—behind potatoes, tomatoes, citrus, grapes, and apples. In the United States, tobacco is grown in 16 states, 2 of which—Kentucky and North Carolin—produce about two-thirds of all domestic tobacco."
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The Tobacco Industry and Pesticide Regulations: Case Studies from Tobacco Industry Archives, 2005
"Tobacco is a pesticide-intensive crop. With nearly 27 million pounds of pesticides (including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and suckercides) applied to the U.S.-grown crop from 1994 to 1998, it ranks sixth in terms of the amount of pesticides applied per acre [U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) 2003]. The tobacco industry regards pesticides as essential to tobacco production, stating that “the crop could not be produced economically without them” (Davis 1989; Philip Morris 1990b). According to industry documents, government-imposed limitations on pesticide use “may present a serious impediment” to the international tobacco trade (Hill 1989)."
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Well hell.
Maybe big tobacco was pinned to the wall for the wrong reason? Could be that pure tobacco is actually a health tonic and it's us burning all of those millions of pounds of pesticides that is really causing the weird growths. I guess big tobacco is still to blame, but still...
Did the proposed study on the impact of pesticides on tobacco users just become a little bit more ethical?
Maybe big tobacco was pinned to the wall for the wrong reason? Could be that pure tobacco is actually a health tonic and it's us burning all of those millions of pounds of pesticides that is really causing the weird growths. I guess big tobacco is still to blame, but still...
Did the proposed study on the impact of pesticides on tobacco users just become a little bit more ethical?
Suckercides? Heck, that explains why I haven’t suckered up the last few years. :
:
Yeh, I first stated that we all probably didn’t want to hear or read about all of this. Ignorant bliss and all. But, keep in mind, that there is responsible use of these chemicals. And, if you would rather grow your own, there are a few of us that are willing to help.
:Yeh, I first stated that we all probably didn’t want to hear or read about all of this. Ignorant bliss and all. But, keep in mind, that there is responsible use of these chemicals. And, if you would rather grow your own, there are a few of us that are willing to help.
You ingest way more pesticides and other nasty stuff from your food and water than you do tobacco. By far. As Cosmic stated, the really dangerous pesticides have been banned. There is an alternative. Let the bugs eat all the food and we can all starve. You'll say "I'll just eat meat". What do you think cows eat each other? They eat corn and silage that has been sprayed with, guess what, pesticides.
Perhaps I'm the only one that finds the incredible irony of so many health related threads on a pipe smoking forum. Kind of reminds me of a guy I used to work with who sat down with two double cheeseburgers, a large fries and a large diet Coke. I asked him why he drank diet coke and he seriously responded "I'm watching calories." In case someone missed the bulletin, smoking is clearly hazardous to your health. You are far more apt to die from smoke related lung cancer than you are from pesticides.
Perhaps I'm the only one that finds the incredible irony of so many health related threads on a pipe smoking forum. Kind of reminds me of a guy I used to work with who sat down with two double cheeseburgers, a large fries and a large diet Coke. I asked him why he drank diet coke and he seriously responded "I'm watching calories." In case someone missed the bulletin, smoking is clearly hazardous to your health. You are far more apt to die from smoke related lung cancer than you are from pesticides.
I'd be curious to know how much pesticide remains after the curing the process. If that has any effect or not.
Well, for as long I know tobacco was grown on a pretty much global scale already before commercial synthetic pesticides/herbicides made their way into agriculture. So it is possible, it most likely just requires ridiculous amount of manual labour which is just not possible in the modern age. Besides, I do think modern synthetic pesticides/herbicides are much safer (and can be used in lower quantities or more specifically) than natural 'organic' ones like copper sulphate, since the modern ones have such a specific mode of action as Cosmic already mentioned, they are not as harmless to us humans (For example a certain pesticide will block an energy carrier that is only found in certain taxonomic groups of insects but not for others or us). I would indeed be more worried about fertiliser residues.
Hopefully in the future more research will be done in Integrated Pest Management and farmers will start using these products in a more targeted way as part of a grander scheme which includes the use of promoting natural predators etc.. But sadly pesticides are cheap and businesses are in it for the money so there is no stimulant to switch to IPM.
I do not know if many people here know, but tobacco is actually the model plant used in physiological plant research and is probably the most well studied plant in the world right behind Arabidopsis thaliana. Most of the fundamental work that has been done in plant physiology is thanks to the tobacco industry. So while it is seen as the devil, it is thanks due this industry that we know so much about how plants work and we can increase our food production.
Hopefully in the future more research will be done in Integrated Pest Management and farmers will start using these products in a more targeted way as part of a grander scheme which includes the use of promoting natural predators etc.. But sadly pesticides are cheap and businesses are in it for the money so there is no stimulant to switch to IPM.
I do not know if many people here know, but tobacco is actually the model plant used in physiological plant research and is probably the most well studied plant in the world right behind Arabidopsis thaliana. Most of the fundamental work that has been done in plant physiology is thanks to the tobacco industry. So while it is seen as the devil, it is thanks due this industry that we know so much about how plants work and we can increase our food production.
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