Friday, July 22, 2016

A Pocket Full Of Misery...!

Some of the most celebrated scientist out there in the past made some very deadly mistakes.

Imagine carrying around radioactive material in your pocket. Sounds strange...? You bet it was, but still it happened. Madame Currie's belongings are still dangerous after all this time!

The Suburban Chernobyl


Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution

Many know that Madame Curie’s work led to her untimely demise, but few know the lasting effects that the radiation exposure has had on her belongings. Currently, her notebook is so radioactive that it must be stored in a lead box. To be able to view her personal belongings, you need protective clothing and a liability waiver.

This is not at all surprising because Curie literally walked around with hunks of polonium, radium, and uranium in her pockets. She continued to conduct her radiation experiments until she died in 1934.

Trucks were often seen dropping off the iron she used to extract her radioactive isotopes and carrying away the waste. Even today, with 90 percent of the building’s contents removed, there continues to be a mini-Chernobyl where her abandoned laboratory stands.

Many of the surrounding neighbors blame her laboratory for their cancer rates, although many maintain that the building is no longer dangerously radioactive.

Sounds to me like her clothes would almost glow in the dark

Coffee out on the patio today.

6 comments:

linda m said...

You know, I wonder if anyone ever checked to see if they "do" glow. Interesting story - whatever made her think she could work with that material and not have it affect her and her surroundings forever! I still feel that all the nuclear bomb testing in the early years is why there is such a high rate of cancer today. Nobody was smart enough to think of the consequences of their actions. Coffee outside sounds good, but I'll have to hurry. another hot and humid day here. Have a great weekend.

JO said...

I guess she wasn't all that smart or just didn't have any common sence for all her research.
Hot and humid here too. Is it FAll yet?

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
I don't think she realized the damage that the radiation would do. Back then , their knowledge was limited about such things.
Thanks for stopping by this morning!


Hey Jo...
I reckon it's like they say...a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping in today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

I guess you could sat that she gave her life for science. We didn't know how bad radiation and X-rays were back then. Why I remember sticking my feet in the X-ray thing at the shoe store and wiggling my toes to see my bones work. That is how I spent my time while my Mom was shopping for her shoes. Guess what, my feet didn't fall off but I do have a bone marrow problem. Mmmmm, I wonder if. . . .

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

Wow, Bubba, I never heard of any of that! Guess I had my head in the proverbial sand, huh? I have had enough x-rays in the past 3 years or so to do me for quite a while, thank you very much ...

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
I remember those machines. Used them a time or two myself!
Thanks for coming by today!


Hey Sis...
Maybe we should check and see if you glow in the dark, ya reckon?
I appreciate the visit today!