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Cig Bans...to Protect Big Oil, Pesticides, Chlorine, etc.

Watchdog | 23.05.2003 05:12

The despised IMF and World Bank support "smoking bans"! Why's that? Maybe it's to blame a plant, tobacco, for harms caused by a LOT of petrochemicals, chlorine, and other industrial parts of the Cig Cartel. Big Cig? It benefits by avoiding exposure, liabilities, prosecution for PUTTING the toxins, carcinogens INTO cigarettes...and into unwitting smokers.

Here is just some info to help explain why Corporate Entities are, oddly, our "consumer protecting", even "WORKER protecting" friends. Regarding WHO, and the so-called "tobacco framework convention" (frame UP more accurately), one needs to consider what's ignored.
Pesticides is just ONE area. Article below leaves out info about pesticide-contaminated non-tobacco additives in cigarettes from NON-organic agricultural firms. It leaves out info about chlorine pesticide residues turning into NO-Safe-Dose dioxin, when burned. It fails to mention that there are still about FOUR HUNDRED pesticides sttill (?) registered for use in the US for tobacco...as if they didn't hear about health problems with typical cigarettes.
I hope this helps adjust the controversy just a little.
Bottom Line: Remember that John le Carre didn't say that "tobacco" was one of the top three worst global industries...he said SPIKED TOBACCO. Spiked indeed...with some of the industrial world's worst toxins and carcinogens. Mother Nature didn't kill millions of smokers, industry did. Nature can't commit crimes either; industry and it's corrupted gov't allies can. Make the distinction. Science, medicine and law require it.
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Re; Pesticide residues in (typical) cigarettes:
Wash Post >  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32003-2003Apr24.html >  http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2003/2003-04-25-09.asp#anchor2  http://www.rjrt.com/TI/TIcig_ingred_summary.asp  http://tobaccodocuments.org/profiles/additives/ < )

(Print out second one...it is impressive. Sixteen pages, small font.)

Re/ Dioxins in Cigarette Smoke...remembering that about a third of pesticides are chlorinated...thus sources of dioxin; rememering also that dioxins are NOT from nature, tobacco or elsewhere, but from chlorine only....as per even EPA "Re-evaluating Dioxin".

*** Dioxins in Cigarette Smoke ***
Copy of an abstract from US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Ga.

Authors: H. Muto, Y. Takazawa
Title: Dioxins in Cigarette Smoke
From: Archives of Environmental Health, Pg. 44 (3); 171-4
Date: May/June 1989

Abstract:

Dioxins in cigarettes, smoke, and ash were determined using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The total concentration of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) in cigarette smoke was approximately 5.0 micrograms/m3 at the maximum level, whereas various cogeners from tetra-octa-chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin ( -CDD) were detected. Particularly, the total concetration of hepta-CDD cogeners was the highest among these cogeners. Mass fragmentograms of various PCDD cogeners were similar to those in flue gas samples collected from a municipal waste incinerator. The PCDD cogeners that were not present in the cigarettes were found in the smoke samples, the 2, 3, 7,8-TCDD toxic equivalent value---an index for effects on humans---for total PCDDs in smoke was 1.81nng/m3 using the toxic factor of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Daily intake of PCDDs by smoking 20 cigarettes was estimated to be approximately 4.3 pg. kg body/weight/day. This value was close to that of the ADIs; 1-5 pg kg body/weight/day reported in several countries. A heretofore unrecognized health risk was represented by the presence of PCDDs in cigarette smoke.

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(This study was cited by Lois Gibbs in her book, “Dying From Dioxin”, and in the EPA’s 1995 draft, “Re-evaluating Dioxin”. Both pointed out that studies are scarce. This is likely due to widespread influence of chlorine industries. The EPA’s 1995 draft acknowledged that dioxins are not considered likely in nature (i.e., not in tobacco) but are from man-made (Dow-invented) chlorine. In 2000, the EPA acknowledged that dioxin is a known carcinogen. According to Greenpeace dioxin experts, inhalation of incinerated dioxins presents a health risk over a thousand times greater than other exposure routes… such as topical exposures or eating. Chlorine elements and, therefore, the dioxins, are still legal in US cigarettes.)

* Note above comparison to flue gas samples from municipal waste incinerator. According to US Patents, fake tobacco may indeed be made from Municipal Paper Waste (…and agricultural waste, paper manufacturing waste, food processing waste, timber products waste and etc.). Much of this is chlorine-contaminated…as are many tobacco pesticides and any number of the hundreds of untested non-tobacco cigarette additives. No labeling or harm-mitigation is required. [JJ
2001]
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Then...it's important to check out, and know about,
www.ktc.com/~bdrake for tons of background material and links.

Watchdog