How could polonium 210 have got onto the BA flights?
It is not clear whether the polonium was carried on to the flight in its raw form in some type of container, such as a vial, or whether the source of the radiation was a passenger who had ingested the polonium before boarding the flight. Jon Miles, group leader for airborne radionuclides at the Health Protection Agency, said both ways were feasible. He said: “It is possible if it was in a vial that was not well sealed it could have got out. It is a material that does spread very easily.” If ingested, polonium 210 comes out in sweat, vomit, urine and faeces. Mr Miles said that if these contaminated fluids were on a person’s clothes they could rub off. He said the health advice for the flight passengers would be similar to that for the people who had dined at the West End sushi restaurant where Mr Litvinenko had dined. “Those actually there at the time will probably need to get in touch for more detailed analysis. But those on a later flight on the same plane might not have to because th
