Human health risk and potential environmental damage of organic and conventional Nicotiana tobaccum production

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 266; no. Pt 2; p. 114820
• Main Authors: Zappe, Ana Letícia, Fernandes de Oliveira, Priscila, Boettcher, Ricardo, Rodriguez, Adriane Lawisch, Machado, Ênio Leandro, Mantey dos Santos, Pâmela Andréa, Rodriguez Lopez, Diosnel Antonio, Amador de Matos, Manuel Arlindo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Agriculture; Brazil; Environmental damage; Fertilizers; Human health damage; Humans; Life cycle assessment; Nicotiana; Tobacco agriculture impacts; Tobacco production; Virginia; Brazil; Virginia; Life cycle assessment; Human health damage; Environmental damage; Tobacco agriculture impacts; Tobacco production
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114820

Tobacco is the most widespread non-food crop in the world. In Brazil, tobacco cultivation is one of the main commodities of the southern region. However, its production is associated with environmental impacts and risks to human health, which have yet to be quantified. This paper uses midpoint and endpoint life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyze the potential environmental damage and human health risk associated with agricultural production of conventional Virginia (CV), organic Virginia (OV), and Burley (BU) tobacco varieties. Organic tobacco production substitutes synthetic fertilizers and pesticides with organic compounds in the cropping stage. The results show that for one ton of dried tobacco, BU, CV, and OV emit 1,610, 1,426, and 1,091 kg CO2 eq, respectively. For organic production, greater impacts are linked to the land use (LU) impact category. The endpoint results showed that OV production resulted in a higher potential for human and environmental damage than BU and CV. The drying of green OV and CV tobacco requires the burning of firewood, which emits high levels of particulate matter and is associated with human health (HH) damage. Overall, the HH damage category accounts for 68%, 82%, and 78% of the total score points associated with the production of BU, CV, and OV. [Display omitted] •Life Cycle Assessment of 3 tobacco varieties in Southern Brazil was performed.•Burley variety was the foremost environmentally sustainable production.•The organic tobacco has highest environmental damage.•Conventional Virginia has the minor land use because its higher productivity.•PM2.5 emitted during leaf drying affects the most human health. Along with tobacco consumption, conventional and organic agricultural tobacco production is also associated with significant environmental impacts and risks to human health.