[Rockhounds] info on radioactive minerals

[Erich Kern]

I agree with what Bryan has written here. He knows the details much 
better than I do. One point he makes obliquely is that the radioactive 
half life is indicative of how radioactive the substance is.
Short half life = very radioactive.

Right about Thorium too. It used to be in mantles for kerosene and 
propane lanterns and was banned sometime in the 1970;s I believe. No 
good reason to ban it except the public's fear of anything radioactive.

My guess that Torbernite would be a bone seeker is that it is a 
phosphate. It was a guess.

Erich


------ Original Message ------
From: "J Bryan Kramer" <codeburner at gmail.com>
To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors" 
<rockhounds at rockhounds.drizzle.com>
Sent: 7/29/2018 7:50:15 AM
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] info on radioactive minerals

>Simple consideration of the half life of these elements will tell you
>how dangerous they may be. Uranium with a half life of 700 million
>years (U-235) or 4 billion of years (U-238) obviously is only
>minimally radioactive. Any particular Uranium atom only has a 50%
>chance of decaying in that time. Radium with a half life of 1600 years
>is almost 500,000 times more radioactive. Uranium is NOT a bone
>seeker, "CDC has published one study that no human cancer has been
>seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium", and the
>anion, phosphate has nothing to do with Uranium toxicity. Uranium is
>chemically toxic like Arsenic so treat it with care because of that.
>Radium is a bone seeker, since it act chemically like Calcium, and is
>much more radioactive as well.
>
>Thorium has a half life of 14 billion years or 14 GYa and is not very
>toxic otherwise: "Tests on the thorium uptake of workers involved in
>monazite processing showed thorium levels above recommended limits in
>their bodies, but no adverse effects on health were found at those
>moderately low concentrations."
>
>Radon gas build up in enclosed spaces is the main radiation concern
>with U or Th. Rn has a very short 3 day half life and is thus quite
>'hot'. Plutonium, which  you probably won't be finding in your
>specimens, has a half life intermediate between U and Ra at about
>600,000 years. As usually Hollywood is completely wrong when they show
>nuclear weapons as being highly radioactive. All the elements involved
>are mainly alpha emitters and alpha is stopped by a sheet of paper.
>The weapons are made of heavy steel. here is some tiny amount of gamma
>but nothing major.
>
>When I served on submarines we used to sit on top of the 'special
>weapon', H bomb, when we waited to get into the mess hall.
>
>BK
>
>
>
>
>“The problem isn’t that Johnny can’t read. The problem isn’t even that
>Johnny can’t think. The problem is that Johnny doesn’t know what
>thinking is; he confuses it with feeling.”
>
>Thomas Sowell
>
>J Bryan Krämer       North Florida, USA
>photos at: http://pbase.com/photoburner
>
>
>On Sun, Jul 29, 2018 at 6:51 AM, Axel Emmermann
><axel.emmermann at telenet.be> wrote:
>>Larry,
>>
>>Uraninite is pure uranium dioxide. I think that you won't find many 
>>minerals that are more radioactive than that 😉
>>You need to keep those specimens in closed plastic boxes or outside 
>>the house.
>>Allanite may contain some residual radioactivity from the REE that it 
>>contains but that would be acceptable without special precautions.
>>Cyrtolite can hold as much as 1/4 of its weight in uranium or thorium. 
>>I'd put that in plastic boxes too.
>>
>>Cheers
>>Axel
>>
>>-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>>Van: Rockhounds <rockhounds-bounces at rockhounds.drizzle.com> Namens 
>>larryrush at att.net
>>Verzonden: zondag 29 juli 2018 2:29
>>Aan: rockhounds at rockhounds.drizzle.com
>>Onderwerp: [Rockhounds] info on radioactive minerals
>>
>>I recently picked up a flat of minerals labeled "radioactive". 
>>Normally, I don't bother much with these, but working with the 
>>torbernite has been an interesting experience, so I can use some help 
>>here with these...
>>
>>
>>
>>Of the 16 hand sized pieces in the flat, 7 are labeled Uraninite, 
>>Canadian Dyno mine, Cardiff, Ontario, and 9 are labeled Allanite and 
>>Cyrtolite (Zircon), McDonald Mine, Hybla, Ontario (ghost town).
>>
>>There are no crystals or faces showing, just masses and clusters of 
>>grains.
>>The matrix in each of these appears to be a feldspar.
>>
>>
>>
>>I have no idea of the "hotness" of them, or of their worth as 
>>specimens, but I'd appreciate any information on them, or similar 
>>pieces.
>>
>>You can see photos at:
>>
>>
>>
>>https://www.irista.com/gallery/8gr7ctnsopro
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>(If interested in buying any, make me an offer.)
>>
>>
>>
>>Larry Rush
>>
>>
>>
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