Nicotine level in smokeless tobacco
05/20/99
The nicotine level in smokeless tobacco varies widely from one brand to another, according to a report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Furthermore, tobacco users who dip or chew 8 to 10 times a day may be receiving the nicotine equivalent of 30 to 40 cigarettes a day. "These findings underscore the need for intensive efforts to prevent children and adolescents from using any tobacco product -- including smokeless tobacco -- and to educate young users about the risks associated with smokeless tobacco,'' according to the report. The federal agency conducted tests on six different brands of smokeless tobacco purchased in Florida. They found that the average free nicotine levels ranged from 0.01 milligrams per gram of Hawken Wintergreen to 6.23 milligrams per gram of Copenhagen Snuff. The average value for free nicotine ranged from 0.23% for Hawken Wintergreen to 68.14% for Kodiak Wintergreen. The pH, which strongly effects the absorption of free nicotine -- the form most easily absorbed by the mouth -- varied from 5.24 in Hawken Wintergreen to 8.35 in Kodiak Wintergreen.