Skip to main content
Log in

Natural radioactive nuclides in cigarettes and dose estimation for smokers

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

210Po and 210Pb contained in cigarettes might contribute to an increase in an effective dose. This article reports the effective dose of radionuclides to smokers based on results of a review of various parameters related to dose estimation for smokers. The annual effective dose to smokers was found to be 0.27 mSv year−1, which was lower than an intervention exemption level (1 mSv year−1) given in International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP Publ. 82).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  1. The New York Times, Puffing on polonium. Published 1 Dec 2006. http://www.nytimes.com. Accessed 3 May 2012

  2. Weekly Gendai. Published Jan 2007

  3. Iwaoka K, Yonehara H (2010) Estimation of effective dose to smokers—naturally occurring radionuclides in cigarettes. Radioisotopes 5(9):733 (in Japanese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Papastefanou C (2006) Radiation dose from cigarette tobacco. Radiat Prot Dosim 123:68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Papastefanou C (2001) Radioactivity in tobacco leaves. J Environ Radioact 53:67

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Khater AEM, El-Aziz NSA, Al-Sewaidan HA, Chaouachi K (2008) Radiological hazards of Narghile (hookah, shisha, goza) smoking: activity concentrations and dose assessment. J Environ Radioact 99:1808

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Sigh DR, Nilekani SR (1976) Measurement of polonium activity in Indian Tobacco. Health Phys 31:393

    Google Scholar 

  8. Savidou A, Kehagia K, Eleftheriadis K (2006) Concentration levels of 210Pb and 210Po in dry tobacco leaves in Greece. J Environ Radioact 85:94

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Skwarzec B, Ulatowski J, Struminska DI, Borylo A (2001) Inhalation of 210Po and 210Pb from cigarette smoking in Poland. J Environ Radioact 57:221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Khater AEM (2004) Polonium-210 budget in cigarettes. J Environ Radioact 71:33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Marunakara N, Avadhani DN, Mahesh HM, Somashekarappa HM, Narayana Y, Siddappa K (2000) J Environ Radioact 51:349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Godoy JM, Gouvea VA, Mello DR, Azeredo AMG (1992) 226Ra/210Pb/210Po equilibrium in tobacco leaves. Radiat Prot Dosim 45:299

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Desideri D, Meli MA, Feduzi L, Roselli C (2007) 210Po and 210Pb inhalation by cigarette smoking in Italy. Health Phys 92:58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kovacs T, Somlai J, Nagy K, Szeiler G (2007) 210Po and 210Pb concentration of cigarettes traded in Hungary and their estimated dose contribution due to smoking. Radiat Meas 42:1737

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Schayer S, Nowak B, Wang Y, Qu Q, Cohen B (2009) 210Po and 210Pb activity in Chinese cigarettes. Health Phys 96:543

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Nikilova ME, Parfenov YD (1971) Lead-210 in Bulgarian cigarettes and cigarette smoke. Roentgenol Radiol 10:163

    Google Scholar 

  17. Peres AC, Hiromoto G (2001) Evaluation of 210Pb and 210Po in cigarette tobacco produced in Brazil. J Environ Radioact 62:115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Takizawa Y, Zhang L, Zhao L (1994) 210Pb and 210Po in tobacco-with a special focus on estimating the doses of 210Po to man. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 182:119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Tokonami S, Kovacs T, Yoshinaga S, Kobayashi Y, Ishikawa T (2008) 210Po and 210Pb inhalation dose by cigarette smoking in Gansu and Yunnan Provinces, China. Jpn J Health Phys 43:131

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Khater AEM, Al-Sewaidan HAI (2006) Polonium-210 cigarette tobacco. Int J Low Radiat 3:224

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Mussalo-Rauhamaa H, Jaakkola T (1985) Plutonium-239, 240Pu and 210Po contents of tobacco and cigarette smoke. Health Phys 49:296

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Okabayashi H, Suzuki-Yamamoto M, Hongo S, Watanabe S (1975) On the evaluation of Po-210 Bioassay for uranium mine workers in Japan for the personal exposure index to radon daughter. J Radiat Res 16:142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Sakoda A, Fukao K, Kawabe A, Kataoka T, Hanamoto K, Yamaoka K (2011) Radioactivity of 210Pb in Japanese cigarettes and radiation dose from smoking inhalation. Radiat Prot Dosim. doi:10.1093/rpd/ncr364

  24. Gregory LP (1965) Polonium-210 in leaf tobacco from four countries. Science 150:74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Carvalho FP, Oliveira JM (2006) Polonium in cigarette smoke and radiation exposure of lungs. Czechoslov J Phys 56:D697

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Karali T, Olmez S, Yener G (1996) Study of spontaneous deposition of 210Po on various metals and application for activity assessment in cigarette smoke. Appl Radiat Isot 47:409

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Rajewsky B, Stahlhofen W (1966) Polonium-210 activity in the lungs of cigarette smokers. Nature 209:1312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Radford EP, Hunt VR (1964) Polonium-210: a volatile radioelement in cigarettes. Science 143:247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ministry of Finance Japan (2007) Foreign trade statistics

  30. Ferri ES, Baratta EJ (1966) Polonium 210 in tobacco, cigarette smoke, and selected human organs. Public Health Rep 81:121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Ferri ES, Baratta EJ (1966) Polonium-210 in tobacco products and human tissues. Radiol Health Data Rep 7:485

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Hill CR (1965) Polonium-210 in man. Nature 208:423

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Kelley TM (1965) Polonium-210 content of mainstream cigarette smoke. Science 149:537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Sakanoue M, Masuda T, Yagi A (1985) 210Pb and 210Po tobacco leaves and their behaviors by smoking. Funded research report of Japan tobacco incorporated 82–87 (in Japanese)

  35. Ferri ES, Christiansen H (1967) Lead-210 in tobacco and cigarette smoke. Public Health Rep 82:828

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. International Commission on Radiological Protection (1996) ICRP Publication 72, Age-dependent doses to members of the public from intake of radionuclides: Part 5 complication of ingestion and inhalation dose coefficients

  37. International Organization for Standardization, ISO3308

  38. Chen BT, Namenyi J, Yeh HC, Mauderly JL, Cuddihy RG (1990) Physical characterization of cigarette smoke aerosol generated from a Walton smoke machine. Aerosol Sci Technol 12:364

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Hinds WC (1978) Size characteristics of cigarette smoke. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 39:48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Jarvis NS, Birchall A, James AC, Bailey MR, Dorrian MD (1996) Ludep2.0-personal computer program for calculating internal doses using the ICRP 66 respiratory tract model, NRPB-SR287. National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton, Oxfordshire

  41. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan, National Health and Nutrition Survey report (2005)

  42. International Commission on Radiological Protection (1999) ICRP Publication 82, Protection of the public in situations of prolonged radiation exposure

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kazuki Iwaoka.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Iwaoka, K., Yonehara, H. Natural radioactive nuclides in cigarettes and dose estimation for smokers. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 293, 973–977 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-1808-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-1808-9

Keywords

Navigation