TAR is not the only harmful substance lurking in a packet of cigarettes.
Tobacco can also contain a mould that could endanger the lives of people with
weakened immune systems.
鈥淭obacco is clearly a source of fungal spores,鈥� Paul Verweij of the
University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, told ICAAC delegates
last week, though the smoke doesn鈥檛 appear to carry the mould.
The incidence of serious fungal infections has increased dramatically over
the past decade. The mould Aspergillus fumigatus is responsible for about 95 per
cent of all invasive fungal infections in patients recovering from transplants
or chemotherapy which suppress the immune system. Aspergillosis is often fatal
in these people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta now
recommends that high-risk patients should not be exposed to common sources of
Aspergillus鈥攊ncluding plant materials such as flowers and pepper. The
Dutch research suggests that tobacco should be added to the list.
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Verweij and his team looked for moulds in the tobacco from 14 brands of
cigarettes. All brands had some fungal contamination, and mould could be grown
from 68 of the 98 cigarettes tested. Most of the moulds detected were
Aspergillus fumigatus.
The Dutch researchers failed to find the fungus when they tested the smoke
from 40 cigarettes deliberately contaminated with spores of A. fumigatus. They
suspect that any fungal spores in the tobacco had either been killed by the heat
or their growth was inhibited by the nicotine in the fumes.
