Kathy Barnsley

DID you know that Polonium 210, that killed Russian spy Litvinenko, is found in tobacco and tobacco smoke? This has been known since the 1960s.
The US Environmental Protection Authority says “While not an obvious source of radiation exposure, cigarette smokers inhale radioactive material that, over time, contribute large radiation dose to the lungs. Worse, smokers are not the only ones affected by the radiation in cigarettes. Second-hand can be just as harmful to nearby non-smokers.

Naturally-occurring radioactive minerals accumulate on the sticky surfaces of tobacco leaves as the plant grows, and these minerals remain on the leaves throughout the manufacturing process. Additionally, the use of the phosphate fertilizer Apatite — which contains radium, lead-210, and polonium-210 — also increases the amount of radiation in tobacco plants.

The radium that accumulates on the tobacco leaves predominantly emits alpha and gamma radiation. The lead-210 and polonium-210 particles lodge in the smoker’s lungs, where they accumulate for decades (lead-210 has a half-life of 22.3 years). The tar from tobacco builds up on the bronchioles and traps even more of these particles. Over time, these particles can damage the lungs and lead to lung cancer.” ( EPA http://www.epa.gov/radtown/tobacco.htm )

Back in 1964 an article was published in Science 17 January 1964: Vol. 143. no. 3603, pp. 247 – 249 DOI: 10.1126/science.143.3603.247

“Polonium-210: A Volatile Radioelement in Cigarettes

Edward P. Radford Jr. 1 and Vilma R. Hunt 1

1 Department of Physiology, Kresge Center for Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Polonium-210, which emits alpha particles, is a natural contaminant of tobacco. For an individual smoking two packages of cigarettes a day, the radiation dose to bronchial epithelium from Po210 inhaled in cigarette smoke probably is at least seven times that from background sources, and in localized areas may be up to 1000 rem or more in 25 years. Radiation from this source may, therefore, be significant in the genesis of bronchial cancer in smokers.”

Another interesting article can be found at http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart-elements/Po-en.htm

“Polonium -210 is the only component of cigarette smoke that has produced cancers by itself in laboratory animals by inhalation – tumors appear at a level five times lower than the dose to a heavy smoker.” Lenntech.

Kathy Barnsley