[ RadSafe ] Radiation Dose from Smoking

[David Schauer]

Ed,

The values to which you referred in your previous email are found in
NCRP Report No. 95:

According to NCRP Report No. 95, Radiation Exposure of the US Population
from Consumer Products and Miscellaneous Sources (1987), deposition of
Po-210 in the lungs of cigarette smokers results in an average annual
dose equivalent of 0.16 Sv (16 rem) to the segmental bifurcations of the
bronchial epithelium. Although the data necessary for converting this to
an effective dose equivalent are not available, based on information
given in Publication 32 of the International Commission on Radiological
Protection (ICRP, 1981) a weighting factor of 0.08 appears to be a
reasonable estimate. This would yield an annual effective dose
equivalent to the average smoker of about 13 mSv (1,300 mrem); the
corresponding average population effective dose equivalent would be 2.8
mSv/y (280 rnrem/y).

DA Schauer
Executive Director, NCRP

>>> "RadSafeInst" <RadSafeInst at cableone.net> 12/08/06 4:58 PM >>>
The Polonium articles stimulated debate about the dose one receives from
smoking. We found several sources saying 1300 mRem per year, and a
Health Physics Society source giving a value of 16,000 mRem/yr (that's
right, an order of magnitude difference). What values do some of you
use, or what sources do you trust? Thank you for any replies you care to
make!!              Ed Battle
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