This study aimed to elucidate the origin of the widespread nicotine contamination of plant-derived commodities, by conducting field experiments with various herbs and spice plants. By scattering tobacco and cigarette butts on the field and subsequent nicotine analyses of the acceptor plants, we verified that the alkaloid is leached out into the soil and is taken up by the crop plants. This path of contamination pertains even when there is only one cigarette butt per square meter. Even such minor pollution results - at least in the case of basil and peppermint - in considerable high nicotine contaminations, which exceed the maximum residue level by more than 20-fold.

The data reported here clearly outline the large practical relevance of this soil-borne contamination path and imply that unthoughtful disposal of cigarette butts in the field by farm workers may be the reason for the widespread occurrence of nicotine contamination in plant-derived commodities. Therefore, such misbehavior needs to be prevented using education and sensitization, and by including this issue into the guidelines of good agricultural practice.

本研究旨在通过对各种草药和香料植物进行现场实验，阐明植物源性商品中广泛尼古丁污染的根源。通过将烟草和烟头撒在田间并对受体植物进行尼古丁分析，我们证实生物碱浸出到土壤中并被农作物吸收。即使每平方米只有一个烟头，这种污染路径也会存在。即使如此轻微的污染（至少在罗勒和薄荷的情况下）也会导致相当高的尼古丁污染，超过最大残留水平 20 倍以上。

这里报告的数据清楚地概述了这种土壤传播污染途径的巨大实际相关性，并意味着农场工人在田间不经深思熟虑地处理烟头可能是植物衍生商品中尼古丁污染广泛发生的原因。因此，需要通过教育和宣传，并将此问题纳入良好农业实践准则来防止此类不当行为。