Re: Toxic Trivia

["Erik C. Nielsen" <nielsenec@earthlink.net>]

About 10 years ago I attended a seminar where Dr. Cember was a guest 
lecturer.  During this course he indicated that "in his opinion" most lung 
cancers associated with cigarettes were caused by radioactivity rather than 
the chemical carcinogens.  He indicated that Pb-210 and Po-210 as the 
primary sources of the radiation.

In the U.S. in the 1940's there was a severe infestation of tobacco leaf 
hopper.  The pesticide of choice at the time was lead arsenate 
(arsenic).  This polluted the ground where tobacco is grown in the U.S to 
this day because of agricultural policy that keeps tobacco grown on the 
same ground that was contaminated with the lead from this pesticide applied 
in the 1940's.  This does not seem to apply to foreign tobacco where 
tobacco crops are not subject to the same restrictions as U.S. tobacco 
growers (i.e. the ground on which it is grown moves around).

Tobacco has a propensity to pick up lead and polonium from the soil and 
incorporate it into it's leaf structure.  With the BP of Po at about 90 
degrees C a burning cigarette, vaporizes the Pb and Po which attaches to 
the smoke particles carried deep into the lungs.

A few years ago, at Heritage Laboratories, we were tasked to analyze a 
number of cigarettes for Po-210 and Pb-210 content as part of the effort of 
an activist group's effort to declare cigarettes as an known carcinogen 
under California statute.  We found Po-210 and Pb-210 content in cigarette 
tobacco at approximately 1.5 pCi/cigarette (each isotope). It doesn't take 
much math to figure out the dose equivalent to the lung.

Here are some quick reference sites on the web: (full text are pay sites)

This is the best site:
http://library.northernlight.com/LW19971007060004181.html?cb=0&sc=0#doc

Further sites:
http://library.northernlight.com/PN19990403020078325.html?cb=0&sc=0#doc

http://www.ukcia.org/lib/research/cancer2.htm

http://library.northernlight.com/ZZ19990402010511343.html?cb=0&sc=0#doc


Erik

Erik C. Nielsen
Radiochemistry Group Leader
mailto: enielsen@stl-inc.com
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Severn Trent Laboratories
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Voice (973) 428-8181  ext 6461
Fax    (973) 428-5222
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Opinions are my own.  Standard denials apply.
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Analytical Laboratory Services: Mixed Waste, Radiochemistry, Waste 
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Visit us at:  http://www.stl-inc.com
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