Among other problems with smoking, there is a danger from radiation, according to the following report. "Tobacco plants are grown in soils with high phosphate fertilizers that are naturally contaminated with the alpha-particle emitting radionuclide polonium-210. In one year, the average smoker will irradiate the bronchial epithelium with 8 to 9 rem, the equivalent dose of radiation from 250 to 300 chest X-ray films per year" (Pediatrics, September 1993, p. 464). How does this annual dose from tobacco compare to an average annual dose of 3.6 mSv that a nonsmoker receives from background radiation? (1 Sv = 100 rem)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The average smoker receives 8 to 9 rem per year, which is equivalent to 80 to 90 mSv. Comparing this to the 3.6 mSv that a nonsmoker receives, the dose from smoking is about 25 times more.

Among Other Problems with Smoking, There Is a Danger from Radiation