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Notes

ALL the above data has been measured by me. The Eberline 120 is modified, with a built-in LND 8767 pancake mica-window detector, which is very sensitive to alpha radiation. The Bicron 50 with the "End Window" is also sensitive to alpha.





Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors contain Americium 241, which emits Alpha particles. This substance must never be ingested. Americium 241 has a half-life of 432 years. Notice the change in CPM when moving from 1/4" away to 1/2" away. Imagine what the count is at zero inches away, which is why you don't ever want to swallow Americium. The high Alpha readings can only be observed with the tin shield removed.





Radioactive Red Fiestaware

Several colors of Fiestaware were manufactured, which were coated with a glaze containing uranium. The most notable is the "Radioactive Red" color, which is what I measured above, on a 7" plate. You are exposed to Gamma radiation if you are near the plate, Beta radiation if you touch the plate, and Alpha radiation if you eat acidic foods off the plate - three modes of exposure.





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Radioactive Lantern Mantles

I measured 3 different old Coleman lantern mantles, 1 old Primus lantern mantle, and 1 old Thermos lantern mantle. They were all about equally hot, but the small Coleman Silk Lite mantle Type 21A two-pack produced the highest count (like the kind we all used for years). They are detectable from 12", with a half-life of 75,000 years.



Remember when you were changing the mantles, and you reached in there and had to work the tie string off with your fingers, and then you BLEW LIKE HECK, to clean all the previous mantle ash dust out of the lantern, and onto everything else? Measuring these mantles now has given me the willies.



They were still using thorium into the 90's, I believe. What was the reason they were allowed to use thorium for so long?

"They had been doing it for so long" was the justification. Therefore, they should continue to be allowed to do it.

Incredibly cavalier logic, at the public's expense. Everybody knew it was there, but had no concept of the risk .

All this stuff is on the net, and Google will easily find it for you. Just type in various combinations of applicable key words.



Uranium Ore

The uranophane is pretty hot stuff - little tiny pieces produce very high counts - this stuff stays WAY outside, in my lead pig within a lead pig. Playing with this uranium ore for a few hours could exceed my suggested maximum annual dose. The uranophane is in plastic bags, and stays in the pig, except when I am testing. I limit exposure time to a minimum, and maintain a 10 foot distance, during most of the testing.

