# Another nicotine correction

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-nicotine-correction/404765>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [May 19, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-nicotine-correction/404765 "2007-05-19T22:50:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![clumma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@clumma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clumma)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-nicotine-correction/404765/1 "2007-05-19T22:50:06Z")

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\> A compound with a relatively high LD-50 might be carcinogenic and  
\> therefore deadlier in the long run, nicotine offering the salient example.

Someone else points out that nicotine itself isn’t carcinogenic. But it  
is a pretty good poison – “relative” compared to what? According to  
Wikipedia: 40-60mg can kill a man. That amount of nicotine is present  
in 3-4 cigarettes, though only about 1mg/cigarette is absorbed by  
smoking (heat destroys most of it). But kids wind up in the E.R. all the  
time from eating cigarette butts.

-Carl

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**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-nicotine-correction/404765/2 "2007-05-19T23:47:26Z")

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A link to your reference point would be a good way to get the conversational ball rolling. Is it one of Cecil’s columns? You can simply copy and paste the URL into your reply and we can all play along. 🙂

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-nicotine-correction/404765/3 "2007-05-20T02:06:21Z")

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Welcome to the SDMB, clumma.

A link to the column you’re commenting on is appreciated. It’s this one: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070518.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070518.html)