Dr. Mitch Fadem

Also Known As Lt. Colonel Mitch Fadem (Formerly a Major)

Dr. Fadem has been smoking cigars off and on for the past 30 years. He holds a PhD in Toxicology and Chemistry and attended Cleveland State University, Kent State University, the University of Vienna (Austria), Columbia Pacific University and has lectured on toxicology and hazardous materials all over the world. He is considered to be a recognized international expert on bioaerosols, biological toxins and infectious diseases.

He worked for many years as an analytical toxicologist/toxinologist managing laboratories, he taught environmental science and toxicology at Kent State University for nearly 10 years and was the chief industrial toxicologist for the MetroHealth Medical in Cleveland, Ohio. He is very familiar with both the positive and negative effects of tobacco and has also lectured on this subject.

Much of his research efforts were with the US Air Force in the area of Chemical and Biological Warfare decontamination and identification. He lead a team of scientists at the USDA Plum Island Animal Disease Center to create a new method for testing the efficacy of disinfectants against viruses and was the team lead for aerial application research for the Air Force. During his career he created and was the Director of the Center for Emerging Technologies in Aerial Application Research and linked this center with the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “VECTOR”. Under this program he conducted research in methods of wide-area decontamination using large aircraft to help neutralize hazardous material releases including large oil spills in coastal waters, biological pathogens, toxic industrial chemicals and other toxins.

Dr. Fadem has lectured all over the world on toxicology, bioterrorism, and Hazardous Materials Identification and Control. From 2000 to 2004 Dr. Fadem worked with the Air Force Operational Testing and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM as a Senior Scientist and Subject Matter Expert for Chemical and Biological Defense Programs. AFOTEC is one of the lead test agencies for the operational testing of new Chem/Bio detection, decontamination and protection technologies for the US military.

From April to July 2007, Dr. Fadem was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan as an Air Force Reservist to work with the Combined Security Transition Command, a NATO forces mission. While there he was able to get thousands of cigars donated to the troops in a program called ‘Cigars for Troops’. This program was promoted by Gary Manelski, the Cigar Guide for About.com (a part of the New York Times Company). Dr. Fadem also smoked hundreds of brands from the top of the line $20/stick Partagas 160 to the less expensive $0.60/stick Mr B Lonsdales. This gave him a unique opportunity to evaluate all type of cigars and he now pleased to share this knowledge with readers.

LtCol Fadem is currently assigned (as a reservist) to the Defense Nuclear Weapons School (DNWS) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico in the course development section. He is writing training courses about pandemic influenza. He is also working on the civilian side as a Threat Agent Specialist for the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque. In 2010 he will travel to Uzbekistan as the Threat Agent Detection and Response Team Leader for the US Defense Department's Biological Threat Reduction Program. Dr. Fadem will be in Uzbekistan for the next two to four years, and yes, he will take some time out to continue to review cigars.

Dr. Fadem can be contacted via email at doctoxin@msn.com