Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab

[snopes]

Comment: I saw an article about a science set sold to children in the
1950s with real uranium-238. Is this for real?

Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.radarmagazine.com/feature...energy_lab.php

Here's an auction for one

And a google answers post about it.

[DaGuyWitBluGlasses]

Healthwise U-238 is not radioactive.

And I believe it poses less of a danger for heavy-metal poisoning than other metals such as gold or mercury as it produces less dust/vapour.

[TrekkerScout]

Originally Posted by DaGuyWitBluGlasses

Healthwise U-238 is not radioactive.

Sorry, but uranium-238 is radioactive. It has a half-life of 4.468 * 10⁹ years. Here is its decay chain:

[Pseudo_Croat]

U-238 is indeed radioactive, but it has such as long half-life that it presents more of a toxicological/carcinogenic hazard than it does a radiological hazard. So both BluGlasses and TrekkerScout are partially right.

- Pseudo "hot time on the old board tonight" Croat

[Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Pseudo_Croat

U-238 is indeed radioactive, but it has such as long half-life that it presents more of a toxicological/carcinogenic hazard than it does a radiological hazard.

The major danger is from decay and fission products, and ingestion, inhalation, and contamination are major risks. So long as the U-238 is purified of decay products, and kept in such a way that it cannot be powderized, it poses very low health risk.

Separating chemical and radiological toxicity of a material- especially one with a very long half-life - is very difficult and of little practical use . . .

... now off to play Half Life 2 . . .

[DaGuyWitBluGlasses]

We call things non-toxic, even though consuming enough will posion people.

We call pots non-stick, even though food will still stick to it in some amount.

U-238 is non-radiocative, because it's radioactivity is not significant. You wouldn't require all restaurants to label their food radiocative because it contains C-14, nor require every single person to have the radioctive symbol tattooed on their forehead.