Menu
Have you ever heard the old adage, “Too much anything is bad for you?” Well, when it comes to nicotine, the same adage applies, but it changes a little bit. Concerning nicotine, the adage will state, “Too much nicotine can be fatal.”
So what is nicotine? Nicotine is a naturally occurring, bitter-tasting, substance found in the tobacco plant. You have probably heard that someone can get addicted to smoking tobacco. Well, the substance responsible for the addictive properties of tobacco is nicotine.
Getting addicted to nicotine can be very harmful to your well-being. Once you get addicted to a substance, you become dependent on it. Your nicotine dependence can cause you to make bad decisions, such as smoking cigarettes, which is extremely bad for your health. Furthermore, quitting nicotine is no easy feat to accomplish. Some have likened trying to quit nicotine to be as hard as trying to quit cocaine or even heroin.
However, addiction is not the only harmful effect of nicotine you face when you use it in any way. Despite being addictive, nicotine is a dangerous neurotoxin.
There was a time when nicotine was actually used as an insecticide. However, it was banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2014 after they discovered that nicotine could contaminate agricultural products. Just imagine what harm it could cause to the human body or even pets.
This is where nicotine poisoning comes in. Nicotine poisoning happens when someone ingests, inhales, or absorbs too much nicotine within a short time. So what are some ways that a person can be exposed to nicotine and possibly cause nicotine poisoning?
Cigarettes are the most common way for people to consume cigarettes. Cigarettes deliver nicotine into the bloodstream when you inhale the smoke. Now, while the amount of nicotine may vary from cigarette to cigarette, a single cigarette may contain about 10-30 mg of nicotine. While this looks like a high amount, you usually inhale very little of the nicotine present in the cigarette. On average, people usually inhale about 2 mg of the nicotine present in a cigarette by the end of it. This is what makes it hard to get nicotine poisoning from smoking a cigarette as an adult.
However, cigarettes butts are another thing altogether. One cigarette butt contains about 5-7 mg of nicotine. If a person, specifically a young child, ingests a cigarette butt, they run the risk of nicotine poisoning.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that contain liquid nicotine (e-liquid). The percentage of nicotine present in any e-liquid usually varies from 0-100 mg. An individual usually consumes the nicotine present in the e-liquid through vaping. E-cigarettes are normally the most common way for people to get nicotine poisoning. This is mainly because liquid nicotine is usually more pure and concentrated. If swallowed, it poses a higher risk of someone getting nicotine poisoning. Plus, if the nicotine strength in the e-liquid is high, vaping too much at once, particularly for first-time vapers, can lead to nicotine poisoning fast.
Approximately one can of dip or snuff usually contains 144 mg. The nicotine usually enters your bloodstream through your mouth. You should note, chewing tobacco allows more nicotine to enter your bloodstream making it easier for nicotine poisoning to happen.
Nicotine gum, is mostly used when one wants to stop smoking. Just like normal gum, nicotine gum is chewed, and nicotine enters the bloodstream through your mouth. They come in 2mg or 4mg strengths. Unless you refuse to follow the instructions of using nicotine gum, the chances of you facing the harmful effects of nicotine from nicotine gum are very rare.
Nicotine patches are another tool used to help quit smoking. They often come in three strengths, 7mg, 14mg, and 21mg. While a patch is not likely to cause nicotine poisoning if you disregard the directions and use too many patches. It could cause nicotine poisoning.
There are a lot of symptoms that appear due to nicotine poisoning. These symptoms ordinarily appear in two phases. The earliest symptoms usually occur in the first 15 minutes to an hour of exposure. These symptoms are normally caused by stimulatory effects. They include:
After these initial symptoms, you may experience some depressor effects, which may happen, 30 minutes or 4 hours after exposure. The symptoms usually include:
You should note that if you have mild exposure to nicotine, the symptoms usually last one to two hours. However, fore severe exposure the symptoms will last around 18-24 hours.
The CDC states that 50 to 60 milligrams of nicotine are considered a lethal dose for an adult who weighs about 150 pounds. However, some of the latest research states that the lethal dose may actually be higher than the CDC states.
While adults may not be at high risk of nicotine poisoning, children, on the other hand, are a different story. Since children have smaller bodies, less nicotine is needed to poison them. Thus, something as simple as your child swallowing a cigarette butt can lead to the harmful effects of nicotine consumption.
E-liquids are especially a serious danger for kids and adults alike since some e-liquids usually come in different flavors. A kid may be tempted to drink causing nicotine poisoning.
While it is rare for nicotine poisoning to cause death, it is not impossible. If you are exposed to too much nicotine, it can turn fatal fast. One of the severe symptoms of nicotine poisoning is it can cause muscle paralysis. Muscle paralysis can cause the paralysis of your respiratory muscles or even your cardiovascular muscles, which will eventually lead to death.
All in all, if you wish to avoid the harmful effects of nicotine, you need to avoid the substance. A great way to do this is quite smoking. Smoking is extremely bad for your health, hence, choosing to quit smoking will allow you to avoid nicotine and prove more beneficial
Copyright © 2024
Salshefa LTD
The penthhouse, 83, Camilleri Buildings, Oratory Street, Naxxar Nxr 2504, Malta
Company number C 98266