Nonetheless, its effect on the nervous system causes many people to become addicted to it. Due to human addiction, the constant inhalations of nicotine causes a tar buildup in the lungs. This buildup leads to disease, thus, nicotine is believed to contribute to the growth of several types of cancer, such as lung cancer and mouth cancer. However, this is how nicotine affects animals. Plants have an entirely different body structure and different systems, therefore, you cannot conclude that nicotine can be harmful to plants.
Chemical substances occur in cigarette smoke as gases or as particulates.
Gases in cigarette smoke that pose a great threat to health include hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxides, and especially carbon monoxide. There are also particulates in cigarette smoke which include a variety of health damaging substances. Nicotine is the most hazardous of these particulates. However, since the tobacco wasn t burned in this experiment, it's possible to conclude that the toxins in the tobacco did not contribute to the minimal seed growth. Furthermore, this study is referring to animals, a completely different type of living system compared to that of plants.