energy requests and good wishes.

[Aggie]

This is why users of homegrown, organic chew tobacco still get oral cancers at the same rate as other chewing tobacco users.

Outis, what are the innate active agents in tobacco that cause oral (and other) cancers? I have a handle on why inhaling the smoke off anything is a bad thing, but just curious on what's in the raw plant matter.  I've heard that habitual oral use of anything (e.g. chewing toothpicks) can lead to cancers, but not sure if that's valid.

I'm not a chewer or a smoker, though I did try curing a few leaves of presumed-natural tobacco this summer and can report that it's very smooth and very mild in taste compared to commercial tobacco (and probably very low nicotine; didn't get much of a head buzz off it -  it was an ornamental variety).  Tried smoking a commercial cigarette in November (a symbolic gesture...  Grandma was moving away so I thought I'd have a smoke with her just the once)...  they are FOUL!

[Outis the Unready]

It's a class of compounds called nitrosamines. In tobacco, they are especially nasty but all of them in high amounts+acid are bad.

[Aggie]

Ah...  I know those nasties.  So chawin' sausage isn't a safe alternative?

I think I'm going to start smoking my own side pork the next time I want bacon... maybe a sugar-only cure first (less nitrosamines, all the benzo[a]pyrene!  Yay!).  Of course, I'm developing a general paranoia for farmed animal fats (due to bioconcentrated pesticide contamination etc.), so I'm going to avoid bacon more anyways.

In line with my paranoias...  Outis, PLEASE switch to organic butter!