Re: FW: talk to journos

[Tom Hazlett <tomhaz@AOL.COM>]

He also had several  Am241 smoke detector sources and  some Be. 

apparently enough to be detectable from a block away!  I wonder if he 

got a merit badge for his effort? ;0



RuthWeiner@AOL.COM wrote:



> In a message dated 9/1/02 6:15:15 PM Mountain Daylight Time, 

> sonterm@EPA.NSW.GOV.AU writes:

>

>

>> The famous 'radioactive boy scout' story, where some young fellow 

>> collects

>> radium paint and thorium mantles and wraps them in alfoil to make 

>> neutron

>> source etc finally contaminating his grandmother's toolshed (and 

>> supposedly,

>> half the neighbourhood as well), is it an urban myth or did it really

>> happen?

>

>

>

> It may be famous but I never heard it.  Radium-dial wristwatches have 

> not been on the market for at least 40 years.   Yes, thorium mantles 

> are alpha emitters (we make cloud chambers using bits of thorium 

> mantles) but how would thorium and radium interact with aluminum to 

> make a neutron source? Can someone explain this?

>

> Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

> ruthweiner@aol.com







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