If it’s contained in glass or something and not just an open canister of powder, it’s actual fairly innocuous
You can take uranium rocks from the US and transport them in a commercial airline over the world.
You can take uranium rocks from the US and transport them in a commercial airline over the world.
Probably shouldn’t, though, unless you have a good reason for doing so.
Look for thunderf00t on YouTube, a scientist who did exactly this. Went to the US to gather uranium rocks and took then back to the Czech Republic and he used them to grow and eat carrots to show that it doesn’t.do much, really
And you’ll be exposed to more radiation from being at cruising altitude than from the rocks!
yeah because uranium actually decays so slowly that the radiation it gives off is barely worth mentioning. the actually hazardous stuff is what comes out of nuclear power plants spent fuel rods.
Part of it is the decay frequency but also how it decays. Uranium238 does an alpha decay that can’t penetrate the glass
The decay products themselves decay through beta decay before arriving at a stable (at human timescales) U234 again. In the chain there is a bit of gamma radiation sprinkled in as well, but overall the decay chain, with the shielding provided by the glass, whatever other bedside obstacle there might have been and the probably small sample size should not have increased the obtained radiation dosage by a significant amount.
I feel like the uranium in atomic bombs is also a bit of a health risk.
“You kids today and your bike helmets. We played with radioactive isotopes, and it toughened us by god!”
Natural uranium mostly emits alpha particles. It’s dangerous if you eat or inhale it, but the wood in the nightstand drawer is going to be enough to block them.
Paper and skin can stop alpha particles. Glass, plastic, or a little bit of metal can stop beta. It’s gamma that will get you, often because of what the gamma does through the material, knocking off new particles as it exits.
The uranium in one of these kits probably had the same potency as the radium pendants you can buy now. It’s fine as long as it stays in its container and never gets inside your body.
Of course gamma will get you, she beat cancer countless times. Gamma is badass.
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She has lived so long with uranium next to her for much of her life? This needs to be studied, maybe she’s onto something
This reminded me of the Japan/smoking/lifespan thing. Turns out decent healthcare is pretty helpful. The most helpful, really, when it comes to determining average length of stay on this hellrock.
There’s also that thing about pretending old family members aren’t really dead so they can keep cashing their pension checks.
And yet, she’s 95 and has survived cancer multiple times…
Kind of reminds me of my step-mother. It’s not the lifetime of heavy chain smoking that caused/causes her to keep getting cancer and worsening respiratory illness. It’s the chemicals “they put in everything”. It’s “they used to put mercury in our vaccines”. It’s “all the drugs they make you take these days”. It’s blamed on everything else and the 60+ years of almost non-stop cigarette smoking just contributed but didn’t cause it.
And, of course, plenty of common things besides cigarette smoke can cause cancer, so it’s not like I’m denying that. Just that Occam’s Razor being what it is, I’m going with the simplest and most obvious explanation that there’s evidence of to explain all the health issues.
This is the argument that cigarette companies used for a long time to avoid accountability. It wasn’t the fault of the cigarettes. It’s all those contributing factors.
I saw a lot of that during lockdown. “She didn’t die from COVID! She died of pneumonia!” Wow, a lot of people are dying from pneumonia this year! That isn’t normal, is it?
It’s denying the worst possible outcome of what’s right in front of them to stay positive. It’s a form of ignorance is bliss. Literally a boomer technique that’s able to be used but to us when things are so in front of us it’s hard to only give 1/10th of a fuck.
My dad recently got bladder cancer fortunately they are well off enough financially that they are able to pay for treatments, thank God!
But I learned that the over 20 years of drinking was less likely to cause the bladder cancer than the fact that he smoked cigarettes. Belive it or not cigarettes have a higher risk of inducing bladder cancer whereas alcohol is more likely to destroy your liver and kidney directly.
He was also exposed to a shit load of chemicals throughout his entire life.
Cancer is a hell of a thing and I don’t wish it on anyone.
It’s such a common thing in medicine, mental health, weight loss, IT troubleshooting, etc. It’s not impossible that the answer is complex, but we always feel like we’re a special case and it can’t possibly be as simple as “eat less”, “get more sleep”, “turn it off and on again”.
Modded Minecraft ruined my mind because this reminded me of a time when opening a wooden chest full of plutonium gave me radiation poisoning and ruined my deathless playground. My mate picked it up after and then also immediately died. Stupid dragons and their stupid plutonium.
That sounds fun Which modpack was that?
Enigmatica 2 Expert. A fun mix of mods produced a Fire and Ice Dragon that had treasure loot from Industrial Craft 2… you’re supposed to handle radioactive materials with proper safety gear. Who’d have thought? Lol
Man, 1.12 really was the golden age of Minecraft mods
1.21 is a bit of a renaissance, especially with the amazing things the create family can do.
By the way: same issue with alcohol and tobacco.
…I’m addicted to nicotine because there’s uranium somewhwre nearby? 🤨
No, I meant with respect to being highly carcinogenic.
Realistically if it’s in a vile in a draw the wood and glass probably blocks most of the radiation. It probably won’t be that high purity if it’s from a 1940s toy set
Or the fabled Fiestaware™©® relish trays lol.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Dd2Bn_YshSA
Bring a Geiger counter to an antique store to find these spicy plates.
My cousin collects old Fiestaware and is also a major hypochondriac. I made the mistake of mentioning the radioactive fiestaware thing and she freaked the fuck out. She does not collect it any more.
But she apparently keeps getting cancer…
Yes, like millions of people who don’t have any uranium. Hmm.
Someone keeps the radiation to train to defeat cancer.
If you’ve had cancer “more time than you can count,” have you ever really beaten it?
Answer: It depends on the amount and qualities of the uranium, as well as how it is stored.
Glass vial, not bad, not great.
Seriously though, those older chem sets had natural samples, so likely not enough to really do damage unless you used it as a jade stone or suppository.
Or decide to do a little stone polishing or carving. Don’t breathe this!
Now I need to go check and see if the Blend-Tec youtube channel still exists
