Radiation Exposure from Smoking

["William G. Nabor" <wgnabor@uci.edu>]

Dear Radsafers:

     While giving our standard radiation saftey seminar I was actually asked
a question by one of the attendees.  I had put up my slide listing some of
the common sources of radiation exposure, which includes a line that
indicates 2 REM/year from smoking a pack of cigaretts a day.  The attendee
challenged that figure and asked for the reference.  Well, the slide was
made way back when and I have lost the original article, or whatever, from
which I had obtained that figure.

     Can any of you help?  What, if any, is the calculated dose to the lungs
from tobacco-induced ionizing radiation (not chemical damage, and not as a
factor in radon exposure unless the radon is from the smoke alone), who says
so and how does s/he know?

     Please respond to my e-mail address below and not to RADSAFE and thank
you for your trouble.
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William G. Nabor
University of California, Irvine
EH&S Office
Irvine, CA,  92697-2725
WGNABOR@UCI.EDU
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