The Underrated Effects of

Radiation from Cigarette Smoking

Melissa Lord
February 27, 2019
Submitted as coursework for PH241, Stanford University, Winter
2019

Introduction
Studies have shown that cigarettes and
tobacco kill more Americans each year
than alcohol, car accidents, homicide
and suicide combined, and is currently
the leading cause of preventable
disease and death in the United States.
[1] Although the percentage of
smoking has decreased overtime,
smoking has resulted in billions of
dollars in direct medical care for adults
and lost productivity. [1] Cigarette
smoke and tobacco contain many toxic Fig. 1: Phosphate Fertilizer.
substances unnatural to put in your (Source: Wikimedia
body, such as nicotine, tar, carbon Commons)
monoxide, and arsenic. [1] Although
nicotine and its addictive nature are the most commonly-known danger of
cigarettes, there is also the danger of the radioactive isotopes Po-210 and
Pb-210, which become harmful to humans when ingested. [2]

Radiation in Cigarette Smoking

Tobacco products, like cigarettes, contain small amounts of radionuclides,
which is one of the many reasons to stay away from the substance. [2]
Although we are aware that tobacco smoke are the main harms of
cigarettes that is significant in the development of lung cancer, radiation
also plays a role. These radioactive materials found in cigarettes have
been argued to have been involved in the origin of lung cancer. [2]
Studies reveal that Po-210, Pb-210, and small quantities of Ra-226 are
present in tobacco. [2] Additionally, studies reveal that values for Po-210
in inhaled smoking ranged from 11% to 35.7% in the total cigarette.
Studies reveal that the level of polonium-210 is higher in four/five organs
tested from smokers than nonsmokers. [2] For lungs, smokers were found
to have 3.16 times more Po-210 (measured in picocuries per gram) than
non smokers. [2] Absorbed doses of radiation is measured using units
called, rads (1 gray = 1 Joule/kilogram = 100 rad). If a smoker averages
two packs a day for 25 years, they would absorb about 75 rads of
polonium. [3] The lung tissues of smokers who have died of lung cancer
have absorbed about 80-100 rads of radiation. [3] Po-210 emits α-
radiation, which luckily has a deconstructive property; human skin is
enough to stop it. However, the case is a bit different for those who inhale
this substance. Studies have detected Po-210 in the airways of smokers,
usually concentrated in hot spots. [3] For chronic smokers, this chemical
remains there because chemicals in cigarette smoke damages the body's
cleaning systems, which would normally get rid of this built up gunk in
the airways. [3] As a result, polonium builds up leading to greater and
longer exposures to radiation. [3] These radioactive materials get into
tobacco because some tobacco plants are grown using phosphate
fertilizers; the plant then absorbs this radioactivity (see Fig. 1). [4]
Tobacco plants also absorb small dust particles that have small amounts
of radioactive materials, including polonium. [4]

What is Polonium-210?
Po-210, is one of the 25 radioactive isotopes of polonium. The element is
found in the earth's crust and in small amounts in the human body. When
radioactive, it releases energy in the form of radiation; however, the
particles decays quickly with a relatively short half-life. At its natural
state and at room temperature, it is a silver-colored metal found in
uranium ores. Half of its radioactivity dies away in 140 days, its physical
half-life, into stable Pb-206 by α-particle emission (an α particle has has
two protons and two neutrons). Polonium-210 is used mainly in static
eliminators, devices designed to eliminate static electricity in machinery.
[3] Because it is an α omitter, Po-210 is not a concern when exposed
externally. However, this substance is not one humans should be inhaling
in large amounts. [4]

Radiation Effects on Health

If large quantities are inhaled or consumed in a short period of time, the
effects of Po-210 are usually extremely damaging and fatal. [5] However,
for smokers who are exposed to small amounts of the chemical over an
extended period of time, there is usually a long-term risk of cancer. [2]
These radioactive substances can get trapped, causing direct and
immediate damage to cells and tissues. When inhaled, the chemical
becomes concentrated in red blood cells, destroying DNA taking
electrons from any molecule. [5] Damage to DNA from polonium
radiation can cause damage to different organs and tissues. [5] Scientists
do realize that this radioactive impurity is not the only contribution of
cancer for smokers; there are other substances in cigarettes that cause
result in health risks, like the 70 other cancer-causing chemicals found in
tobacco smoke. Additionally, like other forms of tobacco, smokeless
tobacco also contain radioactive substances. [4] When discussing the
harmful effects of cigarettes, α-radiation is just one of the many
detrimental effects that is extremely underestimated, and deserves more
policy progression to act on limiting radioactivity in these products.
Tobacco's natural radiation dose
higher than after Chernobyl
EARTH 2 June 2007
If nothing else, this should worry smokers: the radiation
dose from radium and polonium found naturally in
tobacco can be a thousand times more than that from
the caesium-137 taken up by the leaves from the
Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Constantin Papastefanou from the Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki in Greece measured radioactivity in tobacco
leaves from across the country and calculated the
average radiation dose that would be received by people
smoking 30 cigarettes a day. He found that the dose
from natural radionuclides was 251 microsieverts a year,
compared with 0.199 from Chernobyl fallout in the
leaves (Radiation Protection Dosimetry, vol 123, p 68).
Though the radiation dose from smoking was only 10 per
cent of the average dose anyone receives from all
natural sources, Papastefanou argues that it is an
increased risk. “Many scientists believe that cancer
deaths among smokers are due to the radioactive
content of tobacco leaves and not to nicotine and tar,”
he says.
How can Cigarettes, Tobacco, and Radiation Affect Your Health?

Polonium-210 and lead-210 accumulate for decades in the lungs of

smokers. Sticky tar in the tobacco builds up in the small air
passageways in the lungs (bronchioles) and radioactive substances
get trapped. Over time, these substances can lead to lung cancer.
CDC studies show that smoking causes 80% of all lung cancer deaths
in women and 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men. For more
information about the increased health risks of smoking, see
CDC’s Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking.