Comments on Recent News Releases Concerning Lead - 210 and Polonium

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Comments on Recent News Releases Concerning Lead - 210 and Polonium - 210 in Cigarette Smoke

Date: 25 Jul 1974
Length: 3 pages
81151933-81151935
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Abstract

In 1974, a scientist name Edward Martell published a study in the scientific journal Nature that showed cigarette smoke contained radioactive polonium-210 and lead-210. Martell postulated that the alpha radiation emitted by these substances concentrates in the lungs of smokers and may be a major contributor to lung cancer. The article caused quite a stir both inside and outside the tobacco industry. This 1974 Liggett memo acknowledges what Martell found--that radioactive polonium-210 and lead-210 are indeed present in cigarette smoke--and shows Liggett scientists planned to "counterbalance" Martell's information with "opposing opinions of equally reputable scientists..."

In the memo, Norman Vello, Liggett's Supervisor of Physical Chemistry, states,

[Page 1]: "Tobacco leaf, as do all plant tissues, contains small amounts of many inorganic constituents, among them some lead and polonium."

[Page 2]: "Some of the recent publications have made some very strong statements about the significance of these levels of radiation such as: E.A. Martell, Nature, 249, 217 (1974): 'Thus, is seems that alpha radiation from [Polonium-210] in insoluble smoke particles may be the primary agent of bronchial cancer in smoking."

Vello then writes,

"We will have to counterbalance this by opposing opinions of equally reputable scientists such as: B. Rajewski and W. Stahlhofen: (the calculated dose rate) 'would seem to show that carcinogenesis caused by inhalation of [Polonium-210] with the tobacco smoke is rather unlikely."

Vello then discounts Martell's conclusions by saying Martell is after money or "laurels," and essentially admits that the company doesn't know just how damaging the radioactive polonium and lead in smoke are, that they still need to do research to find this out:

"Researchers, particularly when in pursuit of research grant monies or some other laurels, have been known to occasionally overstate what is warranted by facts in order to enhance the merits of their own thing. As it stands, we shall have to delay objective judgment as to just how significant Po-210 [polonium-210] in smoke is until considerable additional research is completed."

Fields

Quotes

The levels of Po-210 in tobacco and smoke are so low that they are generally expressed not in weight but in radiation units,(usually picocuries/gram of tobacco or per cigarette in smoke; pico = 10 -12). The reported levels are usually of the order of 0.3 - 0.6 pc/g of tobacco and 0.02 - O.O1 pc/cigarette in mainstream smoke. Thus, polonium transfers into smoke more efficiently than lead, as would be expected from its higher volatility.

Some of the recent publications have made some very strong. statements about the significance of these levels of radiation such as:

E. A. Martell, Nature, 949, 917 (1974): "Thus, it seems that [alpha]-radiation from Po-210 in insoluble smoke particles may be the primary agent of bronchial cancer in smoking."

We will have to counterbalance this by opposing opinions of equally reputable scientists such as:

B. Rajewski and W. Stahlhofen, Nature, 909, 1313 (1966): (the calculated dose rate) "would seem to show that carcinogenesis is caused by inhalation of Po-210 with the tobacco smoke is rather unlikely."

[Page 3]

In Lark study, we found a Po-210 removal efficiency of 58% which, if true, indicates that part of the polonium in smoke may be in the form of some compounds that are considerably more volative than metallic polonium itself.

Company

Liggett & Myers Inc.

Author

Norman, Vello, Ph.D. (LOR R&D VP)

Physical chemist employed by Lorillard since 1970's, V.P. in charge of R & D since 1991.

Recipient

Cramer, T.

Region

United States

Named Organization

Nature

Litigation

Stmn/Produced

Named Person

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

published study in New England Journal of Medicine

Rajewski, B.

Stahlhofen, W.

Norman, V.

Type

MEMO, MEMORANDUM

SCRT, SCIENTIFIC REPORT

Subject

polonium (Tobacco smoke contaminant)

Derived from phosphate fertilizers

cancer

Document Images

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4& 44 , FROM: SUBJ ECT: -LICvVwHTT &% MYNI[tS IrOTC®YII'®lRA7CED CIGARETTE AND TOBACCO DIVISION Comments on Recent News Releases Concerning. Lead-210 and Polonium-210 in Cigarette Smoke Tobacco leaf, as do all plant tissues, contains small amounts of many inorganic constituents, amon.g them some lead, and polonium. The lead~content has been found to be somewhat variable as re- ported by different investigators, the average content being about 40 parts per. million (40 micrograms per gram of tobacco ),. Upon pyrolysis of the tobacco iri the burning cigarette cone, , 1C _ ., acLLL . _ cL~J~1CcW.'.~ lLV , flJt`lIl sCJIIle i'ecd.5UilcLUly' volatile prodi-i'CLs ?11CL1cCh transfer into main.stream.smoke. The transfer efficiency has been reported to be of the order of 4%. -This is in contrast to most of, the major inorganic species in. tobacco which have very low transfer efficiencies (e.g., calciumi- present 26,000 ppm, transfer 0.001%, aluminum - present 700 ppm, transfer 0.003%, etc.). Nevertheless, the level of lead er se in smoke is so low that it is generally considered to be of little biological significance. Lead is made up of many isotopes, i.e., atoms of slightly different atomic weight, one of whic.hy the radioactive lead-210, ~ 600 s mentioned in the recent newspaper articles. T.^d-210 is principally a.~-emitter and probably not harm1 ~ to Poloniumi-210 which is an d,-emitter with a snort ha_ -life 138 days ) and it is this ~,-radiation given off by. Po-210 that

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.; . Memo to Mr. Ted Cramer Page 2 July 25, 1974 most of the recent articles have focused on. The levels of Po-210 in tobacco and smoke are so low that .they are generally expressed not in weight but in radiation units,(usually picocuries/gram of tobacco or per cigarette in smoke; pico = 10-12). The reported levels are usually of the order of 0.3 - 0.6 pc/g of tobacco and 0.02 - G.01 pc/cigarette volatility. in mainstream smoke. Thus, polonium transfers into smoke more efficiently than lead, as would be expected from its higher Some of the recent publication.s'have made some very strong- sfcsll_:emPtlf,;s about the Gign,ifi_ca.nc? of .thesP levels of radiation such as: E. A. Martell, Nature, 249, 217 (1974): "Thus, it seems that ~C-radiation from Po-210 in insoluble smoke particles may be the primary agent of bronchial cancer in smoking." We will have to counterbalance this by opposing opinions of equally reputable scientists such as: B. Rajewski and W. Stahlhofen, Nature, 209, 1313 (1966 ): (the calculated dose rate) "would seemto show that carcinogenesis caused by inhalation of Po-210 with the tobacco smoke is rather unlikely". grar,t monies or some other laurels, have been known to occasion- Researchers, particularly when~in pursuit of rese arch aaly u;rcrstate what is warranted by facts in order to enhance the

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Memo to Mr. Ted Cramer Page 3 July 25, 1974 . t merits of their own thing. As it stands, we shall have to delay , objective judgement as -to just how significan.t Po-210 in. smoke is.until considerable additional research is completed.- We,have carried out some studies on the filtration efficiency of various filters for Po-210. Standard cellulose acetate filters, such as the L+" M filter, remove of the order of ~+10~ of Po-210 from smoke. This appears to be very nicely in. line with the filtration. efficiency for "tar" which is also -about 40/. In a Lark study, we found.a Po-210 removal efficiency of 58% which, if true, indicates that part of the polonium in smoke mav be in the form of some compounds that are considerably more volative than metallic polonium itself. These experiments were relatively cursory and, due to the low levels of polonium with"which we are dealing, the data scatter was considerable, however, the results appear plausible. RESEARCH DEPARTMENT Vello Norman VN/sbs

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