Hi all,

I thought some of you might be interested in an article I just received via email that helps explain why it's so darn tough to stop smoking.

I will be adding this article to the packet of information that I give to all of my patients that smoke. http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=606934

In additon I recently read an article that states that "Tobacco is by far the largest source of radiation for the American Public". "A heavy smoker is exposed to the equivalent radiation as up to 2,000 chest x-rays every year". That is not a misprint!

You may be wondering where this radiation comes from. It comes from radioactive Polonium which is found in tobacco because tobacco is grown in earth that has chemical (superphosphate) fertilizers added to it. There are reports that indicate that the tobacco industry has known about Polonium in their tobacco since 1964.

Does anyone think our government needs to do more to regulate the tobacco industry?

I will step down from my soapbox now.

Jerry

I read a long time ago that that cigarette smoke actually attracts radioactive particles and that the reason that the lower lobes of the lung are so frequently involved in lung cancer is the weight of the particles causes them to settle to the bottom. I wonder if this is an update to that theory.

Years ago they sold antistatic dust brushes for phonograph records that had Polonium -210 in it.

If campaign contributions from the tobacco industry were outlawed, there might be some serious oversight, or even -- gasp -- a serious crackdown on the industry. And pigs will fly.

Polonium 210 is indeed found in American cigarettes...ironically in tobacco grown in many other countries it is not. It is because of the chemical fertilizers as Jerry has stated that we have used in this country since forever and a day. It is not native to the plant but to the soils we grow it in. This stuff is really scary, just do a Google search about it if you want to undersatnd how small an amount of this has to enter your lungs to put you on a path to cancer. This by the way has been known for some time.... and our government continues to subsidize the tobaco industry. It is a top ten crop in the US, and like most things it is all about the money that allows tobacco to continue to be the largest preventable cause of death in our country.

Hi Jerry,

I just would like to add my Kudos to your post. It's been rough being the lone crusader in my community regarding tobacco cessation.

On your suggestion I too will be including the information in my new patient brochures and mailouts.

Cheers and keep healthy!!

Mike

Mike,

Great to have you aboard. Maybe we can get enough people to stop smoking and put the tobacco companies out of business.

Jerry