Steve Kubby
CANCER RISK IN RELATION TO RADIOACTIVITY IN TOBACCO AND CANNABIS
by Steve Kubby, AMMA
Some scientific studies suggest that the radioactivity of tobacco, not its tars, may be the primary cause of lung cancer. Where does the radioactivity come from? It comes from the inorganic fertilizers used to grow tobacco. In fact, evidence suggests that cancer from smoking tobacco was unknown prior to the use of inorganic fertilizers.
An ordinary Geiger counter will confirm that most commercial fertilizers are mildly radioactive. Heavy fertilizing concentrates radioactive isotopes of lead and polonium in plant tissue. Smoking concentrates the lead and polonium to dangerous levels and then deposits the radioactive isotopes on the lungs, resulting in long term exposure to carcinogenic ionizing radiation.
Based upon this and other evidence, it would appear prudent for medical cannabis consumers to insist upon organically grown medicine, in order to avoid any harmful exposure to heavy metal isotopes.
A summary of a study on tobacco and radioactivity is provided below, courtesy of Robert Melamede, Ph.D. rmelamed@uccs.edu:
Radiol Technol 1996 Jan-Feb;67(3):217-22
Cancer risk in relation to radioactivity in tobacco.
Kilthau GF. Aston Academy, Houston, Texas, USA.
Leaf tobacco contains minute amounts of lead 210 (210Pb) and polonium 210 (210Po), both of which are radioactive carcinogens and both of which can be found in smoke from burning tobacco. Tobacco smoke also contains carcinogens that are nonradioactive. People who inhale tobacco smoke are exposed to higher concentrations of radioactivity than nonsmokers. Deposits of 210Pb and alpha particle-emitting 210Po form in the lungs of smokers, generating localized radiation doses far greater than the radiation exposures humans experience from natural sources. This radiation exposure, delivered to sensitive tissues for long periods of time, may induce cancer both alone and synergistically with nonradioactive carcinogens. This article explores the relationship between the radioactive and nonradioactive carcinogens in leaf tobacco and tobacco smoke and the risk of cancer in those who inhale tobacco smoke.
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