Polonium [Po, 84]

Polonium (Po) is a highly radioactive element of group 16 in the periodic table of elements, chemically similar to Bi and Te, and may follow the biochemical pathway of Se and Te. Nowadays, polonium is obtained by irradiating bismuth, with high-energy neutrons or protons. The main hazard is its intense radioactivity, when it is ingested, inhaled, or absorbed, and it is very difficult to handle it safely. Polonium has been found in tobacco leaves, especially from plants grown on soils with phosphate fertilizers. Calculations of effective dose, due to ingestion of a given radionuclide in the food, depend on the concentration of the radionuclide, the amount of food eaten, and the dose coefficient, or the effective dose per unit intake of the radionuclide. Polonium has been found in tobacco leaves, especially from plants grown on soils with phosphate fertilizers. The presence of radioactive Po in tobacco smoke has been known since the early 1960s, but this information was spread.