Posted on 11/06/2008 7:08:50 AM PST by Kieri
Unless ingested...those heavy particles at short range do a lot of damage.
I think that is the trick with the Russian use of tiny amounts of Polonium.
BS. Many physicians believe very low levels of radiation are actually beneficial, much in the same way that small amounts of sunlight are beneficial. Hormesis effect.
Actually, there “is” nothing to see here. It is obvious from the fact that the radioactivity is Co60 that some scavengers stole a radiography apparatus from some pipeline construction site and turned it in as scrap metal. It got melted down and incorporated with a bunch of other scrap as cheap steel. It’s happened before in the US, so the problem isn’t unique to China.
There is lots of radioactivity around the home.
Each and every smoke detector has Americium-241.
Salt substitutes contain potassium...of which 0.01% contains naturally radioactive potassium-40.
Lantern mantles contain radium, as do some watch hands.
The human body has over 100 grams of potassium-40 and emits over 4000 beta particles per second.
Wait, it is 0.0001 of naturally occurring potassium and the body contains > 0.1kg of it?!?
0.1 kg / 0.0001 = more than 1000 kg of total potassium in a human body.
No.
Lantern mantles contain thorium, not radium.
a better question would be, what else would a wire like that be used for? what weapon system could use it?
“If it came in today, it wouldn’t make it passed the borders”
You have to be kidding!!!!
Um.........I think I have a piece or two of Fiesta Ware someplace. It used to be my favorite casserole dishes.
Uh oh.
This was a true red and old. Not the red you see now for Fiesta Ware.
Try about 10,000 times that number.
Your math error.
0.1 kg * .0001
I don’t know about that. My Mom had it when I was very young, and I just turned (gasp) 63.
Thanks for the info.....I’ll check it out.
Your way multiplies kg of K-40 times the percentage of K-40 in the total potassium (dimensionally incorrect).
With dimensions:
0.1 kg K-40 * 1.00 total K
————————————— = 1000 kg total K
0.0001 K-40
You are right, I was thinking how much shorter 235 was compared to 238 and dropped a few zeros.
0.1 kg K-40 * 1.00 total K
= 1000 kg total K
0.0001 K-40
I am dimensionally correct.
0.1 kg K-40 .0001 kg K-40 (radioactive)
——— * ———————————— =
body kg k-40
Yeah, don’t forget the personal flying car! They keep resurrecting that story every 10 years.........LOL
Sorry, came across this due to another thread on the cheese grater...
The working assumption is that you don't worry about it, since you are not *cheap* steel, right? (see your tagline).
Cheers!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.