Some additional thoughts here: 1. tobacco from many African nations (Zimbabwe is a popular tobacco source) will contain more lead, thanks to the continued use of leaded gasoline. 2. you already have a significant blood lead level if you live, or have lived, anywhere there was historic automobile traffic, thanks to historic leaded gasoline usage (like virtually everywhere in N. America). After being banned for so many years, the average blood lead level is still around 3 micrograms/deciliter, with big city dwellers still looking at numbers between 5-10. If that was a child’s blood lead level, it would be considered a medical emergency requiring treatment. For some reason, the US gov doesn’t consider it important in adults until it is over 25, which is the kind of level that lead smelter workers typically deal with (mine was around 30 when I worked at a lead smelter - they didn’t move you until your level was >45, and they didn’t allow child-bearing-age women to work there at all). 3. phosphate fertilizers wouldn’t be a significant source of lead or polonium if they used refined rock, but the big business tobacco growers go for cheap unrefined phosphate rock, leading to significant polonium contamination (and some lead). 4. I want to echo Juxtaposer’s thoughts on absorption: it isn’t that likely that you would absorb lead from tobacco through your nose. It is likely there as some organo-lead compound that is far too big and heavy to ever get absorbed through mucous membranes. On the other hand, SMOKING it will liberate the lead, and put it into a form that is significantly absorb-able. 5. Everything has lead in it - it depends on how sensitive your assay equipment is. We have found absolutely everything to test positive for lead when surveying foods, consumer items, soils, new clothing, paper etc. and these items were not from “lead metal producing” areas, which of course are more contaminated (don’t live near a lead smelter unless you understand the risks and hazards). Usually the lead levels are extremely low, but sensitive modern equipment can pick it up. So, everything is a little contaminated and you cannot escape it entirely. Fortunately, tiny amounts of lead are easily excreted from your body or go into your bones if you have sufficient calcium intake. You should see how bright my bones are on X-rays are after a couple years of working in a lead smelter. I don’t recommend that… Lead metal poses a miniscule absorption risk. Some lead oxides pose a significant risk when inhaled. Organo-lead compounds are often VERY absorb-able when swallowed. So, chewing tobacco has a higher lead risk. You use so little snuff (relatively speaking) with so little free organo-lead in it, in a place where it doesn’t absorb well, and even the tiny amount of drip is unlikely to be a significant lead source (since you are unlikely to liberate the lead in your nose in the first place) - I wouldn’t worry about it if it were me. Fruits and veggies from your backyard would be a bigger concern, as is all the dusty crap you inhale in the city. Just my thoughts. Best Regards, Geraldo
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