Levels of lead-210 (210Pb) and polonium 210 (210Po) in Cuban Tobacco products

The release of 210Po in tobacco smoke and the radiation dose for man have been studied because of the high incidence of lung cancer among smoker. The electroplating of polonium at two different times onto copper disks and further measurement of alpha activity was the meted used for 210 Po determination in tobacco products. The Polonium daughter is used to determine both the 210Pb and 210Po using the Baseman equations for radioactive growth and decay. A cigarette contains between 10.6 and 14.7 mBq of 210Pb with an average activity of 13.0 mBq and between 8.5 and 12.3 mBq of 210Po with an average activity of 10.4 mBq for different Cuban cigarette brands. For a person smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes a day, the values of intakes estimated range from 32 to 44 mBq for 210Pb and from 34 to 49 mBq for 210 Po with an average daily intake of 39 mBq for 210 Pb and 42 mBq for 210Po. The annual effective dose estimated due to inhalation of these nuclides contained in cigarette smoke shows a value of 66[Sv and was in correspondence with world-wide range dose, 46 - 90 mSv.year 1 - for tobacco product consumption