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Plover, relative to smoking nicotine alone is clearly far safer but science has already generated lung cancer by using the nicotine patch on rats. In fact the last study was by the U.S. government and for the first time we actually saw friction in our governement's NRT marriage with the pharmaceutical industry when the results were first published. I think they settled on wording stating that nicotine does not cause cancer but that NNK. NNK is one of the most potent carcinogens of all and it's one of the chemicals that nicotine breaks down into as it rides out it two-hour half-life inside the human body.
Here are a few other recent concerns that your friend may want to read:

Nicotine may promote cancer development

Science Daily - January 2003


Nicotine destroys memory, recall and learning

National Institute for Health and Medical Research, Paris - May 2002


Nicotine accelerates cancer tumor growth rates

Stanford University School of Medicine - July 2001


Causes hardening of arteries - atherosclerosis

Stanford University School of Medicine - July 2001


Nicotine patch may cause lung cancer

University of Minnesota Cancer Center - November 2000


Causes brain damage & linked to chronic depression

by Dr. Barry Bittman, M.D. - 2000