Polonium in the Earth's crust are not harmful. Polonium has been found in tobacco smoke from tobacco leaves grown with phosphate fertilizers. Because it is present in small concentrations, isolation of polonium from natural sources is a tedious process. The largest batch of the element ever extracted, performed in the first half of the 20th century, contained only (9 mg) of polonium-210 and was obtained by processing 37 tonnes of residues from radium production. Polonium is now usually obtained by irradiating bismuth with high-energy neutrons or protons. In 1934, an experiment showed that when natural Bi is bombarded with neutrons, Bi
Polonium dioxide reaction of polonium dioxide with potassium hydroxide or potassium nitrate in air gives the colourless potassium polonite (KPoO): Polonium dioxide is closely related to the polonite anion (), similar to the relationship between polonium trioxide and the polonate anion (). Polonium dioxide has no uses outside of basic research. All polonium compounds, such as polonium dioxide, are extremely radioactive and thus must be handled in a glove box. The glove box must further be enclosed in another box similar to the glove box, maintained at a slightly lower pressure than the glove box to prevent the radioactive materials from leaking