RE: Po-210 in tobacco

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

Jim,

I am talking from a situation where at least 10% of the population (i.e.

4 out of 40 million)is HIV positive, so the death rate from that is even

less of a joke (not my terminology, nor do I condone smoking).  I have

sympathy with your experience and empathy with your reaction, but for

the sake of rationality I should perhaps point out that examples can

usually be found to counter anecdotal evidence.  Think of the French

lady who died aged 122, having given up puffing at 120.  However, what

would interest me and is closer to the topic, is the possible

contribution of radioactivity in smoke to its carcinogenic potential.

In domestic radon studies, smoke seems such an overwhelming confounder,

that it seems to suggest that the most important factor in smoke is not

radioactivity (unless a very strong synergistic effect would be

present).

Chris Hofmeyr

chofmeyr@nnr.co.za

  



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

From: Jim Nelson [mailto:nelsonjima@HOTMAIL.COM]

Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 11:36 PM

To: Christoph Hofmeyr; ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU

Cc: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: RE: Po-210 in tobacco





Chris,



Smoking kills 130,000 (just lung cancer)people each year just in the

United 

States. I have had two very close friends die who never smoked, but who

both 

worked for years in smoked filled restaurants. It is no joke.



Jim Nelson





>From: "Christoph Hofmeyr" <chofmeyr@nnr.co.za>

>Reply-To: "Christoph Hofmeyr" <chofmeyr@nnr.co.za>

>To: "Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU>

>CC: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

>Subject: RE: Po-210 in tobacco

>Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 15:04:23 +0200

>

>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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