Polonium 210 in tobacco, cigarette smoke, and selected human organs.

Abstract

Since Polonium 210 may be one of the causes of lung cancer a study was undertaken to determine its level in filtered and nonfiltered cigarettes. Various analyses demonstrated that lead 210 bismuth 210 and polonium 210 are not in equilibrium with the parent radium 226. To measure nuclides volatile at the temperature of burning tobacco a smoking machine was designed tested and compared with the actual smoking of 3 persons. Dosage in the lungs of a person smoking 2 packages of cigarettes a day was calculated to be below the maximum permissible concentration for polonium 210 in air per person in the general population. Intake from a cellulose-filtered cigarette was 58.5% and from a filtered treated-tobacco cigarette was 45.1% of that from a nonfiltered cigarette. Specimen from lungs and other soft tissues of a smoker were analyzed to determine if polonium 210 concentrates in various organs; tests indicated higher levels of polonium 210 in the organs of smokers.