Radioactivity in Tobacco

Post by simonhamp » Sat, May 02, 2020, 9:18 AM UTC

smdz wrote: post #40

Every year 8 million people die because of tobacco. In the US alone, the number of deaths (due to tobacco) per year is close to half a million. Similarly between 4-7 million people die due to air pollution. Ironically, that does not alarm anyone, that does not cause lockdowns, that does not require flattening the curve. The numbers don't lie - global lockdowns that led to significant drop in air pollution may have co…

Post by gmueckl » Sat, May 02, 2020, 9:25 AM UTC

saagarjha wrote: post #31

gbin wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a hard time making sense of this. Would it mean 1 atom of Rn is always fatal for any individual? The fact that it accumulates in the body doesn't mean it is fatal at any dose.

No, of course not, but Radon is highly radioactive and extremely small amounts are enough to measurably elevate your risk of cancer. We’re talking numbers like a few million molecules in a room.

Post by DanBC » Sat, May 02, 2020, 9:33 AM UTC

Gibbon1 wrote: post #37

BlueYoshi wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tobacco leaves have sticky hairs on their underside, which is what makes them different from other crops: it’s these hairs that absorb the radon and prevent it from being washed away with water. Also, the type of fertilizer used for Tobacco might be different than fertilizers used for other crops.

> sticky hairs Reminds me. My ex-wifes grandmother said when she was a little girl her family packed up from tobacco country to California. And her utter joy when her mother told her that no they don't grow tobacco in California. Because picking tobacco is gross and nasty work.

Post by mpranjic » Sat, May 02, 2020, 9:56 AM UTC

pm90 wrote: post #42

smdz wrote: post #40

Every year 8 million people die because of tobacco. In the US alone, the number of deaths (due to tobacco) per year is close to half a million. Similarly between 4-7 million people die due to air pollution. Ironically, that does not alarm anyone, that does not cause lockdowns, that does not require flattening the curve. The numbers don't lie - global lockdowns that led to significant drop in air pollution may have co…

Smoking is a choice.

Post by pbhjpbhj » Sat, May 02, 2020, 10:41 AM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #39

abpavel wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Incorrect. There is no such thing as safe dose with Radon. You're thinking of gamma rays and 50mSv/year safe limit. You won't find safe limit for Radon. There are guidelines when you should be very concerned, but there is no safe limit. It decays into radioactive lead, and once we breath it in, it's hard to get rid of, and stays in our bodies.

.. but it's also pretty much unavoidable in some places, as it leaks out of the granite in the ground.