[Arnie]

Organic, when it comes to tobacco, doesn't mean NO ADDITIVES!

Organic, especially food, mean two things:
1. no chemical fertilizer used in production and growing.
2. no chemical pesticides used in production and growing.
That will at least lessen my exposure to polonium-210 and radioactive lead-210 that is present when growers use phosphate, especially Florida-mined phosphate.

That is also true for tobacco as well.

And that is where it ends.

I expect my organic produce went straight from field to grocery shelf (if it doesn't come from my garden), w/o a stop at some factory for adulteration, and it usually does go from field to shelf.

Organic tobacco, on the other hand may have ADDITIVES applied to it and perhaps a stop at an expansion facility (Google expanded tobacco). Now these organic tobacco producers and sellers advertise "without chemical additives" but not "additive free." How safe are additives made from fruit juice, cane or agave syrup, cocoa (and other flavorings), humectants and anti-microbials even if they are all organic of and by themselves when combined with tobacco?

A WHO report on tobacco took great issue on the number of chemicals Big Tobacco used in their product. All were classified as "generally regarded as safe" (GRAS) by the FDA and their Euro counterparts. That's fine as far as it goes. Each additive, standing alone, probably wouldn't harm you too badly. But combined together? WOW!!! Worse yet, not a one of those additives labeled GRAS would have been labeled GRAS if it was known that the product would be burned and then ingested. Nor was any study done on the effect of combining those 600-700 chemicals (total amount depending on the individual manufacturer) and ingesting them, burned or otherwise.

Using the WHO report as a base makes me wonder just how safe the so-called organic tobaccos (with "natural" or "organic" additives) really are since we burn them along with the tobacco?

I am not a chemist (Animal Husbandry major) so I don't know but I thought I'd mention it as food for thought.