Nicotine content in tobacco slashed by 40-50 pc at CMAP laboratory, says CSIR DG

The CMAP laboratory has slashed the nicotine content in tobacco by 40-50 per cent to mitigate its health impact, CSIR Director-General N Kalaiselvi said on Monday.

The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research's (CSIR) Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CMAP) laboratory has grown a plant with lower nicotine content, she told PTI on the sidelines of an event.

''The end-user might have the joy of using tobacco but it would not be a threat to their health,'' she added.

The CSIR chief said a study showed that nicotine content in the plant is 40-50 per cent lower. The CMAP laboratory is now making attempts to reduce it further by 60-70 per cent.

The CSIR worked on the project after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting last year, suggested to look at ways to reduce the health hazard of tobacco.