210Po AND 210Pb INHALATION BY CIGARETTE SMOKING IN ITALY

Abstract

210Po and its precursor 210Pb in cigarette smoke contribute a significant radiation dose to the lungs of smokers. In this work, the concentration of 210Po was determined in 17 of the most frequently smoked cigarette brands in Italy. Samples of tobacco, fresh filters, ash, and post-smoking filters were analyzed; 210Po was determined by alpha spectrometry after its spontaneous deposition on a silver disk. To verify the radioactive equilibrium between 210Po and 210Pb, lead was determined in one tobacco sample by counting the beta activity of its decay product 210Bi with a gas flow proportional detector after separation. The results of the present study show 210Po concentrations ranged from 6.84 to 17.49 mBq per cigarette. Based on these results, smokers who smoke 20 cigarettes per day inhale, on average, 79.53 +/- 28.65 mBq d(-1) of 210Po and 210Pb each. The mean value of the annual committed effective dose for Italian smokers, calculated by applying the dose conversion factor for adults of 4.3 microSv Bq(-1) for 210Po and 5.6 microSv Bq(-1) for 210Pb, was estimated to be 124.8 and 162.6 microSv y(-1) for 210Po and 210Pb, respectively. The lung dose from inhalation of cigarette smoke is much higher than the lung dose from inhalation of atmospheric 210Po and 210Pb.

Radionuclides in cigarettes may lead to carcinogenesis via p16INK4a inactivation

“…They estimated that the radiation dose to bronchial epithelium from inhaled 210 Po for a two-pack-a-day smoker is at least seven times that from background sources, and in localized areas may be up to 10 Sv or more, when summed over 25 years. These estimates were based on several U.S. cigarette brands with an average 210 Po content of 15.6 mBq per cigarette, which is within the range of 210 Po concentrations measured recently in cigarettes from Greece (Savidou et al, 2006) and Italy (Desideri et al, 2007). Martell (1983) evaluated the synergistic interactions between indoor radon progeny and inhaled cigarette smoke and estimated that the total a-radiation dose to ''hot spots'' at bronchial bifurcations in smokers over 40 years of age was from 7.6 to 19.4 Sv for a smoking rate of one pack per day.…”

Radiological hazards of Narghile (hookah, shisha, goza) smoking: activity concentrations and dose assessment

“…Based on these data, the percentages that are internally inhaled into the smoker's lung are calculated. After searching the literature, we conclude that this data is only available for 210 Po in cigarette, about three studies (Skwarzec et al, 2001;Khater, 2004;Desideri et al, 2007), and for 210 Po and 210 Pb in tobacco products (moassel and jurak), only one study (Al-Arifi, 2005). There is an urgent need to estimate the intake of different natural radionuclides to smoker lung and to estimate total internal radiation dose due to smoking, directly as a smoker or indirectly as secondhand smoke, i.e.…”

Determination of Lead and Arsenic in Tobacco and Cigarettes: an Important Issue of Public Health

“…210Pb is a product of 238U disintegration and its existence in tobacco depends on the tobacco origin and natural level of uranium in the soil where tobacco grows. In Italy, 210Pb dose from inhalation of cigarette smoke is much higher than the dose from ambient air (23).…”