Table 2 Summary of current findings in contemporary STPs and historic values for uranium-235 and radionuclides of the uranium-238 decay series
From: Comprehensive survey of radionuclides in contemporary smokeless tobacco products
Radionuclide | Main radioactive emission mode | Proportion of STPs in which radionuclide detected | Range in STPs with detectable levels of radionuclide | Historic radioactivity values in tobacco (mBq/g dwb)a | Tobacco type | Country | Date | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radioactivity (mBq/g WWB) | Mass (g/g WWB) | ||||||||
|  |  |  |  |  | 8–240 × 10−9 g/g | Cigarette | Netherlands | 1979 | [64] |
Total uranium |  |  |  |  | 37–203 × 10−9 g/g | Cigarette, chewing, pan | India | 1979–1992 | |
|  |  |  |  |  | 7.4–19.1 × 10−6 g/g | Snuff | India | 1985–1987 | |
235U | α | 0/70 | BLD | BLD | BLQ | Cigarette | India | 1979 | [65] |
BLD | Snuff, snus | US | 2014 | [67] | |||||
238U | α | 3/70 | 1–10 | 7–80 × 10−8 | BLD-8.1 | Cigarette | Brazil, Egypt | 1994–2012 | |
BLD | Snuff, snus | US | 2014–2016 | ||||||
234U | α | 5/70 | 1–9 | 4–38 × 10−12 | 0.3–1.3 | Leaf | Brazil | 1994 | [20] |
234Th | β− | 0/73 | BLD | BLD | BLQ | Tobacco | Japan | 1987 | [70] |
5.7–8.8 | Moassel | Egypt | 2005 | [71] | |||||
234mPa | β− | 0/73 | BLD | BLD | None reported | ||||
230Th | α | 5/70 | 1–9 | 1–12 × 10−12 | None reported | ||||
226Ra | α | 67/70 | 1–9 | 1–24 × 10−14 | 1.8–20 | Cigarette, pipe, cigar | Various | 1960–2005 | |
214Pb | β− | 0/73 | BLD | BLD | BLQ | Cigarette | Switzerland | 1971 | [28] |
214Bi | α | 0/73 | BLD | BLD | 1.3–2.4 | Moassel | Egypt | 2005 | [71] |
44–59 | Tobacco | Iraq | 2009 | [29] | |||||
210Pb | β− | 52/70 | < 40 | < 2 × 10−14 | 1.9–40 | Various | Various | 1966–2009 | |
8.6–11.6 | Moist snuff | US | 2009 | [48] | |||||
210Po | α | 66/70 | 2–18 | 1–11 × 10−17 | 0.74–80 | Various | Various | 1987–1994 | |
|  |  |  |  |  | < 2–120 | Snuff, snus | US Sweden | 1986–2014 | |