Tobacco Documents Online

Radioactive Cigarettes

Abstract

The radiation poisoning death of ex-Russian KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko last week has brought a renewed interest in the cigarette contaminant Polonium-210. This confidential Philip Morris (PM) memo from 1980 written by Roger Comes (a Associate Senior Scientist in PM's Research and Development department in Richmond, Virginia) responds to news reports about a research article that was published at the time by Edward Martell that revealed that cigarette smoke contained low levels of the radioactive alpha particle emitting constituent Polonium-210. The memo confirms that PM was aware at that time that smoke from their cigarettes contained radioactive lead and polonium, and that it was derived from the uranium contained in the calcium phosphate fertilizers that farmers regularly used on tobacco-growing soils. Comes states that

"210-Pb [radioactive lead] and 210-Po [radioactive polonium] are present in tobacco and smoke...."

He also suggested that switching to another fertilizer could probably help the situation:

"...using ammonium phosphate instead of calcium phosphate as fertilizer is probably a valid but expensive point..."

Fields

Notes

A larger, clearer copy of the memo can be seen at http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ege97e00

Quotes

That phosphate fertilizer contains natural radioactivity is a well established fact. Natural uranium accumulates in the phosphate rock...Uranium and its daughters are thus carried through the mining and manufacturing process and appear in the commercial product [the fertilizer used on tobacco plants]. Soils to which these products are applied show an increase in radioactivity over that naturally present and this increase is a function of the rate of application and the number of years that the fertilizers have been used....Thus, the smaller particles [of the fertilizer] which would be more likely to be made airborne by normal farming practices, would be expected to settle out on the tobacco leaves during the growing season and/or be more readily taken up by the plant root system. 210-Pb [radioactive lead] and 210-Po [radioactive polonium] are present in tobacco and smoke....For alpha particles from 210-Po to be the cause of lung cancers is unlikely due to the amount of radioactivity of a particular energy necessary for induction. Evidence to date, however, does not allow one to state that this is an impossibility. The recommendation of using ammonium phosphate instead of calcium phosphate as fertilizer is probably a valid but expensive point.... ....The soluble 210-Po is that which one would expect to be cleared by normal physiological processes...A study carried out by us has shown an increase in the soluble 210-Po with time after harvest.... [underlining emphasis added]

Company

Philip Morris

Author

Comes, Roger A. (PM R&D Project Leader, Nitrosamine Production)

Recipient

Osdene, Thomas Stefan, Ph.D. (Director of Science and Technology, Philip Morris [1986])

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. Ten years of research when he started with PM in 1965. Worked in Chemical Research Division of PM 1965-66; Chemical and Biological Research Division 1966-69; Director of Research 1969-1984, also assumed independent position as Director of Research and Extramural Studies during these years; became Director of Science and Technology in 1984, reporting directly to Philip Morris USA Executive VP Mark Serrano. Involved with Center for Indoor Air Research (CIAR) 1988. Attended PM's Operation Downunder Conference in June, 1987. Retired 1993.

Region

United States

Type

Memo

Confidential

Named Person

Martell, Edward (Scientist who published studies showing presence of radioact)

published study in New England Journal of Medicine

Subject

polonium (Tobacco smoke contaminant)

Derived from phosphate fertilizers

contaminants (Unintended foreign additives in cigarettes)

Includes items such as bugs, bug larvae, pesticides or pesticide derivatives, oils, rubber or metal shards from factory machinery belts, perfume, molds, paper clips, blood, etc. that accidentally get into finished product.