Po and its precursor Pb in cigarette smoke contribute a significant radiation dose to the lungs of smokers. In this work, the concentration of Po 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; Po was determined by alpha spectrometry after its spontaneous deposition on a silver disk. To verify the radioactive equilibrium between Po and Pb, lead was determined in one tobacco sample by counting the beta activity of its decay product Bi with a gas flow proportional detector after separation. The results of the present study show Po 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 of Po and Pb 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 μSv Bq for Po and 5.6 μSv Bq for Pb, was estimated to be 124.8 and 162.6 μSv y for Po and Pb, respectively. The lung dose from inhalation of cigarette smoke is much higher than the lung dose from inhalation of atmospheric Po and Pb.
210Po and 210Pb inhalation by cigarette smoking in Italy
DESIDERI, DONATELLA;MELI, MARIA ASSUNTA;FEDUZI, LAURA;ROSELLI, CARLA
2007
Abstract
Po and its precursor Pb in cigarette smoke contribute a significant radiation dose to the lungs of smokers. In this work, the concentration of Po 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; Po was determined by alpha spectrometry after its spontaneous deposition on a silver disk. To verify the radioactive equilibrium between Po and Pb, lead was determined in one tobacco sample by counting the beta activity of its decay product Bi with a gas flow proportional detector after separation. The results of the present study show Po 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 of Po and Pb 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 μSv Bq for Po and 5.6 μSv Bq for Pb, was estimated to be 124.8 and 162.6 μSv y for Po and Pb, respectively. The lung dose from inhalation of cigarette smoke is much higher than the lung dose from inhalation of atmospheric Po and Pb.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.