- A rare radioactive isotope called polonium 210 killed a person
- People world wide smoke almost six trillion cigarattes a year and each one delivers a small amount of polonium 210 to the lung
- The poison puilds up to a radiation dosage of 300 chest x-rays a year for smoking half packet a day
- It causes thousands of deaths a year in the U.S. alone.
- Cigarattes still contain as much polonium they did half a century ago.
- In june 2009 the family smoking prevention and tobacco control act were signed into the law
- An experiment conducted by USDA and the atomic energy commision found ut that the commercial fertilizer had about 13 times more radium 226 than the special mix resulting in nearly seven times more polonium in the leaves.
- It was suggested that soils containg uranium-rich phosphate fertilizer would release radon 222 into the surrounding atmosphere.
- The radon wuld then decay into lead210, which would deposit on the growing plants sticking to the thousands of little hairs called trichomes that cover tobacco leaves.
- As the Harvard gorup,Martell suggested Because of smokers' chronic exposure to low, concentrated doses, polonium 210 was likely the primary cause of their lung cancers and other types of cancers
- Polonium would be an excellent first poison to ban from tobacco.
- WHO has made clear that smoking is the most avoidable cause of death.
- An estimated amount of 1.3 million people die of lung cancer worldwide every yeaer, 90% because of smoking.
- Deaths could have been avoided by reducing polonium 210
Summary
Polonium 210 is a radioactive element found in cigarattes and is the means for the death of a lot of people as much as 1.3 million per year by causing lung cancer as well as other types of cancers. The article states different experiment conducted to figure out the element, it's consequences and actions taken after knowing it's responsible for causing cancer. In 1990 46 U.S. states filed a lawsuit against the industry forced manufacturers to admit that smoking is dangerous and addictive , that resulted in the release of millions of internal documents and reserches. But eventhough industries are aware of what they are capable of causing on the consumers, they still didn't reduce the amount of polonium 210 used in cigarattes, living the people to much more danger.
Reaction
My reaction to the article was rather dissapointed because as the producers industries have the power of saving peoples life by making a wise decision but they chose to continue with the wrong one. In my opinion they should still reduce the amount ponlonium210 used in cigarattes or there should be a law that should force them to do it.
So what...?
Tobacco industries should reduce the amount polonium210
What if...?
The amount of Polonium20 was reduced, there would be less lung cancer caused by cigarattes and that'll result the number of death rate
Says Who..?
Brianna Rego
What does it remind me of...?
Cancer, Why do people smoke when they can save their own life without smoking?