Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with radiation

Are satellites built from old metals to avoid post-A-bomb radiation levels?

metaBugs — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:49:45 -0800

Are satellites (or satellite parts) ever made from metal salvaged from pre-1945 shipwrecks? Possibly to ensure that those metals were refined before atmospheric A-bomb explosions increased the background radiation levels? A friend of mine recently visited the ESA site (Europe's answer to NASA) in the Netherlands. While there, he was told by one of the guides that some satellite components are made from metals salvaged from old (WW2 or earlier) shipwrecks. The reasoning ran:

i) The planet's atmospheric background radiation is measurably higher now than it was before the A-bomb detonations.
ii) Therefore, some materials manufactured before the war (presumably referring to steel here) have a lower background radiation than the equivalents manufactured today.
iii) For some scientific applications, having slightly less radioactive materials is worth the extra expense of hauling old shipwrecks up from the seabed and re-processing the materials. Examples given were very sensitive radiation sensors and building radiation shields around delicate equipment.

I've heard this before from another source, although can't remember what that source was. I can just about imagine a mechanism (an increased proportion of Carbon-14 in the Carbon used to make steel from iron?), and Europe certainly has enough WW2-era shipwrecks available for this to be logistically possible.
However, a phycisit friend of ours reckons that this is probably nonsense. She argues that radiation isn't contagious; there's no way a slightly increased atmospheric radiation level could affect the radioactivity of a newly refined slab of steel.
So my questions are:

1) Have you heard that satellites or their components are sometimes made with metal from shipwrecks? What's your source for this?
2) If satellite parts are made from shipwrecks, could it be due to different radiation levels? If so, why is old metal less radioactive?
Bonus question:
3) Is my hypothesis about increased levels of Carbon-14 in modern steel completely insane? If not, could an archaeologist in the future apply Carbon-14 dating techniques to chunks of steel in the same way that we do to our archaeological finds?

Please help my startup company start up!

IAmBroom — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:40:16 -0800

Stuck trying to install Geant4 on my laptop. I get "Error 2", and warnings that multiple libraries are not in the expected locations (ordinary libraries like stdio.h). Are there any experienced installers out there who can kibbutz with me on this?

Hot countertops?

quinoa — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:21:20 -0800

How can we test granite countertops to ensure there are no unusually high levels of radiation? Looking for someone near Berkeley, CA who can do this for us ASAP. Who should we call? We're in escrow to buy a new house, still in the inspection period until Wednesday. The house has granite countertops. A NYT article last year suggested that some granite may emit dangerously high levels of radiation. While others have said there's little cause for concern, and while we know the risk is actually quite low, we'd really love to know BEFORE removing inspection contingencies that there are no such problems in this house.

Does anyone know where we can find a test for this (radon machine? geiger counter?) sometime between now and Tuesday, in or around Berkeley?

All your beta are belong to us

neuron — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:32:51 -0800

Where can I get some small quantities of radioactive materials for science fair type projects? I recently acquired an old Gieger counter. I know about United Nuclear. I'm just wondering if there is another source. I'm interested in beta and gamma sources, so the polonium in antistatic brushes and the americium in smoke detectors is of no interest to me.

Black Body Radiation

PaulingL — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:53:47 -0800

What can you tell me about black body radiation? Each week I have been trying to learn about a physics concept with a friend.

After we research on our own, we plan to get together to share what we have learned.

What interesting, exciting, important, etc. information/revelations can you share with me about black body radiation?

Help me reduce cell phone radiation to my brain!

surenoproblem — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:31:44 -0800

Can anyone tell me if a blue tooth headset or a handsfree kit will help lessen the frying of my brain? This corded handset claims that radiation emissions are reduced by 95%. Is that right? What's my best option, other than speakerphone or not worrying about it?

What superpowers can I look forward to?

Atom12 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:58:39 -0800

What can I expect in terms of side effects for radiation treatment of brain cancer? Did the biopsy, MRIs, CT scan and chemo. This week I start radiation. It'll be a quick appointment (approx 15 a day for 3 weeks) so I'm not worried about the logistics of that. I would like to know, however, what types of side effects I can expect and ways to treat them.

If there's any correlation to my reaction to chemo, I never threw up but felt really bloated, nauseous, had hot flashes, weird one day side effects (hurt to chew, mouth sores, etc) and that goddamn filmy chemo coating in my mouth (thank you sweet Jesus for gum!!) in addition to the fatigue. Will radiation be more of the same, less of the same or something else entirely?

Looking for Bacteria

iconjack — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:52:07 -0800

Which strains of (harmless) bacteria are most susceptible to radiation? Looking for a good choice of bacteria for science fair experiments, where good means harmless, accessible and easily killed by radiation.

How much raditation from an x-ray taken in the developing world?

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:38:16 -0800

HypochondriacFilter: I got a chest x-ray taken while travelling in Africa. No protective garmets used. Any potential for damage done to myself or potential future kids? I'm a small female, 22-years-old. I stood on this movable platform while the x-rays were taken. They took, I believe, three of them.

Apparently a typical chest x-ray gives a dose of around 80 microSv (equivalent to 10 days background radiation exposure). That sounds like small potatoes. Any guesstimate for what that might have gone up to? I'm really looking for reassurance, or advice for what to do if I'm faced with the chest x-ray option again.

Help me find a young adults hard sci-fi book about a space medic?

ArkhanJG — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:41:23 -0800

Please-help-me-identify-a-book-filter. Trying to track down a young adults hardish sci-fi book from the mid 80s in the UK about a space medic in trouble. I read it from the young adults/teenagers library fiction section, when I was about 10 which puts it around 1984-1986.

It was fairly hard sci-fi for a YA book, and addressed the story of a travelling space-ship. There was some sort of accident or other mishap that ended up leaving the medical officer - fairly young, I think - in charge. I remember one particular incident in the book where they had to pass through a radiation storm/solar flare with insufficient shielding. The crew and passengers hid behind the water tank, and they had to jury-rig manual attitude control of the thrusters back to the safe compartment, to rotate the ship thus keeping the water tank between the radiation and the passengers for some period of time. I also believe there might have been some sort of disease that the doctor had to try and diagnose with insufficient experience and tools, that was slowing spreading amongst the crew, which he finally succumbed to near the end of the book.

hopefully my memory isn't completely wrong, and someone kind recognises this from my description. My nephew is very much into space and sci-fi, so I'm sure he'd love this if I do manage to find a copy. My google-fu has failed so far.

How come we aren't all mutants?

SpacemanStix — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:51:55 -0800

According to this chart, there have been 2,422 nuclear explosions since 1945, including above ground, under ground, and in the sea. I'm somewhat amazed that this isn't having more of permanent negative effect. Does spreading out all the nuclear activity allow our ecosystem to absorb the radiation in reasonable intervals? Chernobyl has been a wasteland since the reactor meltdown. Was it simply that much more radioactive than actually testing bombs?

Can I ship a Wii through the diplomatic pouch if it gets radiated?

k8t — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:55:26 -0800

Is it safe to ship electronics through the US diplomatic pouch? I am able to ship via diplomatic pouch. Is it safe to ship electronics, specifically a Nintendo Wii through it? I am under the impression that some sort of radiation treatment is done to materials in the pouch.

Is it radioactivity that makes tabacco kill? How to get non-radioactive tobacco?

MetaMonkey — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 03:49:03 -0800

Is there any truth to the suggestion that, "Many scientists believe that cancer deaths among smokers are due to the radioactive content of tobacco leaves and not to nicotine and tar" (source). If so, where does one get non-radioactive tobacco?

How can I help a friend who will be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for the next few months?

Vorteks — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:47:26 -0800

My friend's wife is recovering from breast cancer. They removed the tumor a couple weeks ago, and they found no sign that the cancer had spread to the lymph system. She's expected to make a full recovery. But in order to kill any remaining cancer cells, for the next 2 months she'll be undergoing chemotherapy, and then 1 month of radiation therapy afterwards. What can I do to make life easier and/or lift the spirits of her and her husband? I'm looking for suggestions for gifts or other things I can do that might be of practical help to both her and her husband. Her basic needs are being met. Her mother is staying with her and cooking meals, shopping, doing laundry, etc. I'm wondering if there's something I can do to help take her mind off the problem, cheer her up, or maybe help with the symptoms in some small way. I'd also like to help my friend (her husband) deal with seeing his wife in pain. I've thought about giving DVDs/books/sudoku, things like that. I'm not sure about her taste in entertainment though.

I'm not sure what the symptoms of her treatment will be, except that she's said she'll lose her hair. Being male, there's a limit to how much I can help with things like that, but I'd like to anticipate other problems and give things that might help. (For example, when a different friend was undergoing treatment that made their hands stiff, I included one of those squeezey stress balls in her care package). Failing that, I'd like to do anything that might cheer them up.

If anyone had any suggestions for something I can do to make life easier or lift the spirits of both husband and wife, I'd really like to hear them! Thanks in advance.

What else can be sensed passively?

viewofdelft — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:13:28 -0800

What else can be sensed passively? Help me construct a list of things that can be sensed passively by machines. I came up with a list of the more obvious subjects of passive sensing, including:

smell
touch
taste
sound
location
motion
pressure (e.g. of the air and blood)
temperature
levels of certain gases (e.g. CO2 levels)
humidity
seismic activity
electromagnetic radiation (e.g. just about everything else I could imagine)

Help me fill in the obvious while also providing the more obscure, such as wireless networks (which, admittedly, may be categorized as electromagnetic radiation). What other things can be sensed passively by machines?

Judging possible wifi health risks?

ericbop — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:45:24 -0800

My question has two parts: -What are some reliable resources that would allow me to form an intelligent opinion about the possible health-risks of wifi exposure - specifically for a pregnant woman surfing the 'net wirelessly from a laptop for a few hours a day. -Where is the built-in wifi antenna on a Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop? (If it's in the screen vs. the keyboard area, then at least it's a few inches further from the womb-area - but again, I have no idea if that even matters). Our general attitude can be summed up as follows:

-Right now, we're not paranoid about having electronic devices (TV, computers, cell-phones) in the same room as us, but we probably wouldn't stand directly in front of a microwave while nuking our morning cereal
-We let our two-year-old son talk to his grandparents on the cordless phone, but not a cellphone.

So, we're looking for a range of opinions, focusing on the less-radical ends of the spectrum.

radiation exposure and fertitilty

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 08:45:25 -0800

IANAD do I do not know is this is a riduculous concern or not that I have. My son is 28 and I have reason to believe that he and his partner are trying to conceive. When he was 3 or 4 he had some fllings done on his teeth and the (old country) doctor who did them " forgot" to cover his lap when he took the xrays and I have always wondered if that sort of exposure to radiation ( 25 yrs ago roughly) could have damaged the motility of his sperm, or somehow compromised the general overall health or production of sperm. I have not mentioned this to him and I do not know if I should or just wait and see. Any thoughts or helpful informed repsonses? Thanks

Is it safe to live directly underneath a large number of radio and/or cell towers?

lorimer — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 03:24:04 -0800

Is it safe to live directly underneath a large number of radio and/or cell towers? My friend wants to move into a building where she would be living on the 20th floor (there are 21 floors) and all along the roof are a LOT of antennas. (This building is on a hill and is the tallest point anywhere around.)

Other mefi threads contain good, long debates about this issue but they are all from the perspective of someone living beside, rather than right below, the towers.

I don't know whether the antennas are radio only or radio and cell. From googling the building address I assume at least some are radio (since one result is a report of a company being cited for moving their radio tower from another building to this building without a permit). According to cellreception.com, there are no *FCC-registered* cell towers there, but that site says "The FCC does not require every antenna structure to be registered, and the map may or may not list all the towers in the area."

Thanks for your thoughts, pro or con, or any advice about researching building addresses to see what antennas are on them!

old people + radiation = disturbing graphic novel

changeling — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:17:50 -0800

Help me find the name of a graphic novel, in which a naive elderly couple deal with the aftermath of an atomic bomb. . . I found it in the bookshelf of my Science Fiction/Fantasy Writing professor a few years ago. The art was very cartoonish, I remember.

A bomb went off somewhere, and this elderly couple was terribly naive when it came to radiation and fallout--- like drinking water with ash in it from the fireplace. Or is that from Children of the Dust? I remember further along they grew thin, and their hair fell out. . . Obviously, a disturbing book. But it's been nagging at me for years. Anyone?

Can an open microwave door leak a dangerous amount of radiation?

invisible ink — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 19:25:04 -0800

My roommates have a really annoying habit of leaving the microwave door ajar after they're done using it. In other words, the microwave beeps, they take their food out, and then leave the door hanging. Am I being exposed to unsafe levels of radiation?

Cellphone Radiation Paranoia

clango — Fri, 12 May 2006 10:04:16 -0800

I like to carry my cellphone in a cargo pants pocket, on the outside of my body away from vital organs. I believe this is good for my health because the odds of microwaving my kidneys and intestines and all that other good stuff are reduced. Am I being crazy?

Effects of a Really-Near-Earth-Supernova?

Chanther — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 09:36:34 -0800

How close would a Near-Earth Supernova have to be to Earth to cause immediate surface effects? And what would those effects be? Most of the articles I've read on the effects of a Near-Earth Supernova on Earth's biosphere deal with the elimination of the ozone layer and associated consequences - damage to the biosphere from solar radiation which now can reach the surface because of the lack of protection from the ozone layer. But they don't talk about immediate surface effects. I assume that if a supernova were to go off much closer to the Earth than the ozone-depeletion scenarios contemplate, that the radiation would overwhelm the atmospheric barriers and irradiate the surface immediately. Theoretically, how close would a supernova have to be to do this?

Secondly, what would the actual effects be, aside from a lethal dose of radiation to living things? What would it look like? Would the atmosphere fluoresce? Would fires ignite? What would a protected observer see happening on the Earth's surface?

Nuclear Spinthariscope or something like it, in the UK

Flitcraft — Sat, 24 Apr 2004 13:10:47 -0800

I want to buy someone a spinthariscope but want them to have something to look at through it. However the only firm I can find selling a legal alpha-emitter ( Polonium 210) is in the US and won't ship to the UK. What could I find or purchase in the UK which would emit alpha radiation and put on a good light show for a spinthariscope?