Investigation of the incoming dose contribution from 210Po radionuclide of tobacco users

Lung cancer is the prevalent cancer type worldwide in men and the main reason for this is due to smoking cigarettes. One in ten deaths around the world is caused by tobacco use. However, there is less information about radionuclides in tobacco. The tobacco leaves significantly contain 210Po radionuclide which is the most radiotoxic element. Turkey male lung cancer incidence is considerably higher than the entire World. In this study activity concentration of 210Po was determined monthly in different parts of tobacco plants (leaf, stem, root and soil) and the correlation between the amount of rainfall and 210Po concentration of tobacco leaves was investigated. The concentration of 210Po was measured in 16 different popular brands of cigarettes in Turkey by using alpha spectrometry. The concentration of 210Po in cigarettes ranged from 16.3±1.1 to 37.6±2.6 mBq/cig. (average 22.4±1.5 mBq/cig). Additionally, the average annual effective dose from 210Po for 20 cigarettes smoked by an individual per day was calculated to 188.5±12.4 μSv/year. In this study 74 lung cancer patients were selected from three groups of volunteer patients (smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers) and 210Po activity concentration was determined in their blood samples. Radon exposure is considered the second cause of lung cancer and the first in never smokers. We aim to investigate the effect of residential radon exposure on the risk of lung cancer in lung cancer patients. To this end, indoor radon concentration was measured in the homes of lung cancer patients.