RE: Po-210 in tobacco

[Erik Nielsen <enielsen@antechltd.net>]

My 2 cents worth on this thread.



More than a few years ago I attended a short OSHA radiation safety course 

taught by Dr. Herbert Cember.  In that class he opined that he thought that 

more than 50% of lung cancers associated with cigarette smoking were caused 

by the radioactivity (Po-210) in the cigarettes.



One interesting explanation for elevated Po-210 levels found in tobacco 

produced in the US has too do with two factors.  Growing tobacco is tightly 

controlled.  You need a permit/license to allow you to grow a specific 

number of acres.  These permits are extremely valuable and tend to be 

passed from generation to generation for the same plot of ground.  The USDA 

calls this a Standing Market Order (SMO). This practice tends to increase 

the reliance on fertilizer because "crop rotation" doesn't really exist 

with tobacco farms. Year in and year out it is tobacco, tobacco, tobacco.



Now add a little historical footnote......totally anecdotal but 

reasonable.  In the 1940's there was an infestation of tobacco leaf 

hopper.  Before modern pesticides the pesticide of choice for this type of 

insect was lead arsenic.  Thousands of pounds of lead arsenic were applied 

to tobacco fields in the US.  The lead present in this compound of course 

contained the naturally occurring Pb-210 thus increasing the level of 

Po-210 in the tobacco plant.





Erik C. Nielsen

Senior Radiochemist



Antech Ltd., Waltz Mill Laboratory

P.O. Box 158, Bldg G, M/S 62

Madison, PA 15663



mailto:enielsen@antechltd.net



(V) 724-722-5214

(F) 724-722-5208

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