RE: Po-210 in tobacco

["Christoph Hofmeyr" <chofmeyr@nnr.co.za>]

Otto, Radsafers,

Thanks for the informative comment.  If it has not been done, it could

be an interesting project to compare Po-210 in (natural) gas-heater

dried tobacco with air-dried, and with controls dried under controlled

conditions designed to prevent external exposure to Po-210

contamination.  Whether Po-210 has any relevance in the Tobacco War,

which in many instances has gone beyond the rational?  In our latitudes

it is quite legal to knowingly infect an unsuspecting person with AIDS

(no disclosure required), but since 1 July it has become a criminal

offence to light up in a public place (penalty defined).  In my book the

former is murder, the latter a mild misdemeanor.

My own musings.  Pardon my cynicism.

chofmeyr@nnr.co.za





-----Original Message-----

From: Otto G. Raabe [mailto:ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU]

Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 3:45 PM

To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: RE: Po-210 in tobacco 





July 2, 2001

Davis, CA



Beside root uptake of the Pb-210 from soil, the tobacco leaves can

receive

considerable Pb-210 contamination when the leaves are dried with large

natural gas heaters.  The Po-210 is quite volatile in the burning

cigarette

and is ultimately attached to the inhaled smoke, while the lead and

thorium

probably primarily remain with the ash.



Otto

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