Polonium 210 testing...?

Question

I have the worst luck. It started well - I was invited for dinner by friends and had a lovely meal at Brian Turner's restaurant at the Millenium Hotel in Grosvenor Square. We spent the rest of the night in the Pine Bar where I enjoyed a number of excellent vodka martinis. The only problem is that the date was 1st November, which was the day Mr Litvenenko availed himself of the hotel's hospitality.

Consequently, I have been contacted by the appropriate agencies and now have to do a urine test to see if I'm going to start glowing in the dark. I'm not massively worried - I have enough bad habits (those vodka martinis and a fondness for marlboro lights) to already have more immediate health concerns.

However, after receiving the equipment for the urine test (beautifully packaged in a Sainsbury's carrier bag sealed with masking tape, and left under a plant pot in my garden with no instructions at all), I wonder if my alcohol and cigarette intake will affect the results of the test?

I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that, Jeremy! I'm being tested for radiation and it's left under a plant pot with narry a note - I came across it by accident - and in a Sainsbury's bag? I'm wondering if the newspapers would be interested! Although everyone I've spoken to has been lovely and helpful, so I'm not sure I could do that to them...

Answer 1

I'm told there is a trace of polonium in cigarettes but I wouldn't imagine that it would skew the test.

What I find most amazing about your question is how the test was delivered. Staggering professionalism from the HPA

Answer 2

Dint worry about it. They re testing for polonium, a radioactive element. However, you should stop smoking. Drinking is okay,but cigarettes contain trace amounts of polonium and that means that constant smokers have a much larger amount of polonium in their bodies than nonsmokers.