Polonium-210 produces alpha radiation, which can't penetrate the skin. It will kill you with cancer if even one microgram of the stuff gets in your body, but otherwise it's relatively harmless. [Edit 1: That being said, a small cereal toy like that is, uhh, ironic. Edit 2: Oh and apparently it dissolves in water :DDD]
Also with a half life of 138 days it's hardly "one of the most radioactive substances on Earth".
Yes, and 138 days is far from the shortest. Take Radon-220 for example. It can be found in nature in trace amounts, while having a half life of only 55.6 seconds, while Radon-222 has the longest half-life of all Radon isotopes at 3.8 days.
When removing the red cap in a dark room, you could peer into a tiny viewing chamber and see flashes of light caused by alpha particles hitting a zing sulfide screen.
21 Comments
Thatuserguy@lemmy.world · 96 pts · 217d
Good news! They still are!
abbiistabbii@piefed.blahaj.zone · 43 pts · 217d
Part of the reason they brought the government was to kill you.
October1@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 217d
Republican's love deregulation for a reason
WalleyeWarrior@midwest.social · 4 pts · 217d
Cannot stress enough how eager the Democrats are for you to keep over as well
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 33 pts · 217d
Deme@sopuli.xyz · 46 pts · 217d
Polonium-210 produces alpha radiation, which can't penetrate the skin. It will kill you with cancer if even one microgram of the stuff gets in your body, but otherwise it's relatively harmless. [Edit 1: That being said, a small cereal toy like that is, uhh, ironic. Edit 2: Oh and apparently it dissolves in water :DDD]
Also with a half life of 138 days it's hardly "one of the most radioactive substances on Earth".
MalReynolds@slrpnk.net · 31 pts · 217d
It is however one of the most toxic things on earth By mass, polonium-210 is around 250,000 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide and was used by the KGB for assassinations.
in_my_honest_opinion@piefed.social · 21 pts · 217d
Sure, the kids just don't have to chew or suck on it.....oh, oh no
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 217d
A shorter half life generally means it puts out more radiation per hour.
Deme@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 217d
Yes, and 138 days is far from the shortest. Take Radon-220 for example. It can be found in nature in trace amounts, while having a half life of only 55.6 seconds, while Radon-222 has the longest half-life of all Radon isotopes at 3.8 days.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social · 1 pts · 215d
I bet it's in the top 10% by mass. That makes your objections wrong and silly, you will never recover from this embarrassment.
gustofwind@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 217d
When did corps stop trying to kill us
GalacticSushi@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 23 pts · 217d
They're still trying to kill us, but back then they were doing it in totally rad ways like giving us toys made out of polonium .
Luci@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 217d
Yeah but it was barely any. Your smoke detector is probably more radioactive than it was.
TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 217d
One is a children's toy that comes in food while another is a ceiling mounted device you almost never interact with.
FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 217d
From what I can find online, it wasn't in the cereal box. You had to send away for it with money and a box top.
Luci@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 217d
Wait until you hear about bananas!
TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 217d
Bananas aren't toxic in addition to being radioactive unless you have an allergy like me.
WalleyeWarrior@midwest.social · 6 pts · 217d
So what did this radioactive ring supposedly do? there had to be a reason that kids were excited to win one
Odemption@sopuli.xyz · 12 pts · 217d
The ring was a miniature spinthariscope.
When removing the red cap in a dark room, you could peer into a tiny viewing chamber and see flashes of light caused by alpha particles hitting a zing sulfide screen.
mossy_@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 217d
damn that's actually really cool