Determination and distribution of Po in different morphological parts of tobacco plants and radiation dose assessment from cigarettes in Turkey.

Both sides of tobacco leaves accumulate Po through their sticky hairs (trichomes) by means of diffusive deposition. It is known that tobacco leaves may contain high amounts of Po concentrations. However, there is less information about radionuclides in tobacco plants. In the study, the Po concentrations were determined monthly in different morphological parts of tobacco plants (leaf, stem, root) and soil samples and soil-to-plant transfer factor for Po was determined and the activity concentrations of Po radionuclide in 16 different popular brands of cigarettes were investigated in order to estimate the annual effective doses of Po to smokers. Besides the study investigated (focused on) the correlation between the amount of rainfall and Po concentration of tobacco leaf. The results of the present study indicated that the activity concentration of Po in cigarettes distributed in Turkey ranged from 16.1 ± 1.0 to 37.6 ± 2.6 mBq per cigarette and the mean value of their activity concentrations was 22.4 ± 1.5 mBq per cigarette. The mean value of annual effective doses of Po to smokers (20 cigarettes smoked by an individual per day) obtained from these activity concentrations was estimated to be 188.5 ± 12.4 μSv y.