Po-210 in tobacco

["Kjell A. Johansen" <kajohans@powercom.net>]

Franz,

I have to disagree.  The Po-210 in tobacco does come from the air. The

mechanism is as follows:

Radon diffuses from the ground.  As the radon decays it becomes

charged.  The charged atom is attached to small airborne particles

called Aiken particles.  The particle assumes the charge of the charged

atom.  Now, the underside of the tobacco leaf has many fine, hair like

appendages which results in a large surface area for charged particle

attachment.  The charged Aiken particles become attached to this "fuzz."



Sorry, but I do not remember the reference from which I got the

mechanism.



Kjell Johansen, Ph.D.

408 E. Lexington Blvd.

Whitefish Bay, WI USA

kajohans@powercom.net



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