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Re: Thoriated Tungsten vs Pure
Tesla List wrote:
>
> > > Subject: Re: Thoriated Tungsten vs Pure
> > > Subject: Re: Thoriated Tungsten vs Pure
> > Subject: Re: Thoriated Tungsten vs Pure
> > > Subject: Re: Thoriated Tungsten vs Pure
> > > Subject: Re: Thoriated Tungsten vs Pure
<SNIPPPPPPP>
> As has been mentioned already by others, breathing any alpha particle
> source is a real no-no. A 1 curie alpha only source (like concentrating
> 2 million smoke alarms in a block) can be held in the bare hand! You
> will get a terrible surface burn after just a few hours and maybe after
> 20 years develop skin melanomas on that hand, but you will live from what
> would be a lethal dose of any other radiation. However, breathe a mere
> .0000001 gram of radium and lung cancer is virtually assured over the
> long haul. You would absorb 100% of all the 4 MEV alpha particle
> radiation from this invisble quantity. Every atom would destroy
> tissue!!! .0000001 gram of radium emits about 3700 high speed helium
> nuclei every second!!! So in a week you would have suffered a minimum of
> 2.2 billion ionizing collisions and total absorption of nuclear radiation
> within a limited area of you lung tissue.
>
> Scarey!!!! You bet guys!
>
> Richard (th' Radman) Hull, TCBOR
Richard, and all,
Thanks for the valuable input! With the potential for large risk, and no
apparent benefit, I'll specify pure tungsten rod. I collect rocks and
minerals as one of my other hobbies. I have some crystals of betafites,
thorites, and uraninites I collected 27 years ago from the Bancroft,
Ontario uranium mining area.. These are so "hot" I need to keep them out
in the garage to reduce radon buildup in my house.
While much of what is heard about the dangers of radon and asbestos
tends to be more "scare stories" than real, Richard Hull's description
above is indeed sobering! I can't believe that breathing in thorium
oxides off a rotary makes sense. The only glow I want is off the top of
my coil!
Safe coilin' to ya!
-- Bert --