OT: Nuclear War???

[Baron Munchausen]

Slick said:
At the risk of becoming a pain...

What people are normally oblivious to is that we live in constant fields of radiation. Naturally occurring isotopes exist in the very ground we walk on. Radon is a radioactive gas that comes out of the ground. Concrete contains trace natural uranium and other radioactive nuclides. We are bombarded by cosmic rays from space, and all kinds of radiation from the sun - what do you think gives you that great suntan??? Heck, even your smoke detector in your house has probably somewhere around 1 microCurie of Americium-241. Americium-241 is a decay product of PLUTONIUM-241. Did you know that you have a radioactive decay product of PLUTONIUM-241 in your house; maybe in your kitchen???

And if you have a box of spare 'mantles' for your camp lantern you have some thorium in your house, too. Yes, the glow from those gas-fired camp lanterns is partly radioactive!

Not to mention the radium in 'glow in the dark' clock dials or any other 'glow in the dark' goodies you might have.

And if you are still using a CRT for your computer monitor, you've got x-rays being created right in front of you. Modern CRTs are designed to very high standards, with lead shielding, and carefully tested to not emit more than trace amounts of radiation beyond their internal workings, but the x-rays are still there in any CRT.

[Renegade 13]

No Slick, you're not becoming a pain. Your information is quite interesting, and more reliable than most since you actually work in the nuclear industry. So please, if you have more knowledge to share, please do!