Assessment of Pb-210 e Po-210 concentrations in Nicotiana tabacum L., variety Virginia, cultivated in Brazil

• Grant number: 14/09640-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2014
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Regina Damatto
• Grantee: Thiago Oliveira Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The tobacco products are extensively used throughout the world and the most consumed are cigarette, cigar and narghile. The damaging effects that these products cause to human health are worldwide discussed and many researches are performed with the aim of relating the use of these products with various diseases. Brazil is the second largest producer and exporter of tobacco worldwide, according to the production of the crop year 2009/2010, with 95% of agricultural production concentrated in the southern region of Brazil. The tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is used to manufacture all derivatives and chemical composition resulting smoke varies with the type of tobacco leaves as they are grown, the origin region, the characteristics of preparation of their derivatives (compression, and filter paper) and temperature variations resulting from the incomplete combustion of tobacco. The existing national and international literature on the chemical and radiological characterization of the cigarette is vast, but scarce on this same characterization of Nicotiana tabacum L. plants growing around the world and especially in the Brazilian varieties and other products besides cigarettes. The objective of this project is to determine the concentration of the natural radionuclides Pb-210 and Po-210 in Virginia variety grown in southern Brazil.