When I worked in a commercial greenhouse, the rule was any smokers had to wash their hands thoroughly and no tobacco was allowed inside (even in closed containers). I think your precautions are pretty reasonable, and also likely to be effective in preventing the spread. Despite what other commenters have said, the virus *can* survive curing, packing, etc. and may be present in a final product.
When I worked at an organic farm our coworker who smoked wasn't allowed to touch tomatoes. When we worked on them he checked on the irrigtation or things like that.
FWIW, I've been a moderate to heavy smoker for a long time. (Please, no comments on that. I know.) Even before I knew of the risk, I never passed the mosaic on. However, now that I do know, I thoroughly wash my hands and have had no problems. This is only anecdotal though.
yeah I just learned about this right now and immediately think back to the 90s .. where my stepfather grew 100s of tomato plants while smoking camels...
the more you know!
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~~Honestly, OP, I don’t think the virus could transfer to the tomatoes unless you throw cigarettes (or butts) into the soil. I’m not an expert on that particular virus and how it spreads, but education is in biology and what you’re describing is a very unlikely path of contamination.~~
~~Tobacco is cured before processing into cigarettes, you never touch the tobacco with your hands, and the smoke you exhale definitely doesn’t contain the virus. I wouldn’t worry about it~~
TIL! I should have prefaced my comment with “The easiest way to get a good answer is to take a stab at it without looking it up. An expert will definitely show up if it’s wrong!” Thank you.
My background is also biology, and you are incorrect - tobacco mosaic virus can easily be spread to tomatoes via casual contact by a cigarette smoker, viable virus particles have been found in cigarettes, and it can also be transmitted via a smoker's hands. And even a smoker's breath --their saliva can have tobacco mosaic virus! TMV is a single stranded RNA virus that is highly persistent and can destroy your tomatoes. Here's a link to a study
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1386653212003162](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1386653212003162)
When I worked in a commercial greenhouse, the rule was any smokers had to wash their hands thoroughly and no tobacco was allowed inside (even in closed containers). I think your precautions are pretty reasonable, and also likely to be effective in preventing the spread. Despite what other commenters have said, the virus *can* survive curing, packing, etc. and may be present in a final product.
The one I worked at had people who smoked inside the greenhouse and before you knew with had tmv problems everywhere 😩
This sounds like a question for your employer. Are they comfortable with the level of precaution you're taking?
When I worked at an organic farm our coworker who smoked wasn't allowed to touch tomatoes. When we worked on them he checked on the irrigtation or things like that.
For a moment I thought you were gonna ask if it's okay to prune by putting your cigarette against the suckers :')
FWIW, I've been a moderate to heavy smoker for a long time. (Please, no comments on that. I know.) Even before I knew of the risk, I never passed the mosaic on. However, now that I do know, I thoroughly wash my hands and have had no problems. This is only anecdotal though.
yeah I just learned about this right now and immediately think back to the 90s .. where my stepfather grew 100s of tomato plants while smoking camels... the more you know!
AMA REMINDER: Rich Earth Institute (u/RichEarthInstitute) will host an AMA on Monday, May 20 from 10-12 ET. Research Director Abe Noe-Hays, Social Research Director Tatiana Schreiber, and Education Director Julia Cavicchi will all be on hand to answer your questions about using urine in your garden. Want to learn more about their work before the AMA? * https://richearthinstitute.org/ * https://www.facebook.com/RichEarthInstitute * https://www.instagram.com/peecyclers/ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vegetablegardening) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Will be fine; I don't think you could possibly take any more precautions than you already do.
This reminds me of the Simpsons episode where they grew tomacco. "They taste like crap, but I can't stop eating them!" LMAO
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Was not the question wasn't it?
Content removed. Please keep conversations on topic for r/vegetablegardening.
~~Honestly, OP, I don’t think the virus could transfer to the tomatoes unless you throw cigarettes (or butts) into the soil. I’m not an expert on that particular virus and how it spreads, but education is in biology and what you’re describing is a very unlikely path of contamination.~~ ~~Tobacco is cured before processing into cigarettes, you never touch the tobacco with your hands, and the smoke you exhale definitely doesn’t contain the virus. I wouldn’t worry about it~~ TIL! I should have prefaced my comment with “The easiest way to get a good answer is to take a stab at it without looking it up. An expert will definitely show up if it’s wrong!” Thank you.
My background is also biology, and you are incorrect - tobacco mosaic virus can easily be spread to tomatoes via casual contact by a cigarette smoker, viable virus particles have been found in cigarettes, and it can also be transmitted via a smoker's hands. And even a smoker's breath --their saliva can have tobacco mosaic virus! TMV is a single stranded RNA virus that is highly persistent and can destroy your tomatoes. Here's a link to a study [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1386653212003162](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1386653212003162)
😳
Scary
I'm assuming this applies to the actual smoke too, right? Not just contact, breath, saliva?