I’ve seen various lists saying that one recieves a dose of 12-8 [sup]REM[/sup]/[sub]year[/sub] from a pack-a-day cigarette habit due to Polonium.
From what I can gather…
The phosphorus used in many fertilizers is made from apatite, which readily absorbs Radon. Radon decays into Polonium. So chemical fertilizers are the first source… however, tobacco plants seem to have a particular affinity for Polonium and concentrate it to levels orders of magnitude above background.
By what process do tobacco plants enrich Polonium and why?