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Science 17 January 1964:
Vol. 143. no. 3603, pp. 247 - 249
DOI: 10.1126/science.143.3603.247
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Articles

Polonium-210: A Volatile Radioelement in Cigarettes

Edward P. Radford Jr. 1 and Vilma R. Hunt 1

1 Department of Physiology, Kresge Center for Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Polonium-210, which emits alpha particles, is a natural contaminant of tobacco. For an individual smoking two packages of cigarettes a day, the radiation dose to bronchial epithelium from Po210 inhaled in cigarette smoke probably is at least seven times that from background sources, and in localized areas may be up to 1000 rem or more in 25 years. Radiation from this source may, therefore, be significant in the genesis of bronchial cancer in smokers.


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Carcinogenicity of Tobacco-Smoke Constituents.
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Polonium-210 in Bronchial Epithelium of Cigarette Smokers.
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Lead-210 and Polonium-210 in Tissues of Cigarette Smokers.
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Polonium-210 Content of Mainstream Cigarette Smoke.
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Polonium-210 in Cigarette Smokers.
K. W. Skrable, F. J. Haughey, E. L. Alexander, E. P. Radford Jr., V. R. Hunt, and J. B. Little (1964)
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)