Radiation dose from cigarette tobacco.
The radioactivity in tobacco leaves collected from 15 different regions of Greece before cigarette production was studied in order to estimate the effective dose from cigarette tobacco due to the naturally occurring primordial radionuclides, such as (226)Ra and (210)Pb of the uranium series and (228)Ra of the thorium series and or man-made radionuclides, such as (137)Cs of Chernobyl origin. Gamma-ray spectrometry was applied using Ge planar and coaxial type detectors of high resolution and high efficiency. It was concluded that the annual effective dose due to inhalation for adults (smokers) for (226)Ra varied from 42.5 to 178.6 microSv y(-1) (average 79.7 microSv y(-1)), while for (228)Ra from 19.3 to 116.0 microSv y(-1) (average 67.1 microSv y(-1)) and for (210)Pb from 47.0 to 134.9 microSv y(-1) (average 104.7 microSv y(-1)), that is the same order of magnitude for each radionuclide. The sum of the effective doses of the three natural radionuclides varied from 151.9 to 401.3 microSv y(-1) (average 251.5 microSv y(-1)). The annual effective dose from (137)Cs of Chernobyl origin was three orders of magnitude lower as it varied from 70.4 to 410.4 nSv y(-1) (average 199.3 nSv y(-1)).
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Atomic and Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece. papastefanou@physics.auth.gr
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D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D001822:Body Burden; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000737:chemistry*
D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011847:Radioactive Fallout