RE: FW: talk to journos

["Chilton, Milton W." <chilton@NV.DOE.GOV>]

Ruth, I'm sure what the scout was trying to build was an Alpha/Neutron

source. Neutron sources used in industry are often made by combining an

alpha emitter with a light element such as beryllium. In such a source a

small percentage of the alphas emited interact with the Berylium to generate

a new atom that then emits a neutron in becoming stable. This is the way

Plutonium Berylium and Radium Berylium sources work. I don't know how well

this would work with aluminum. In a normal source the source material and

the Berylium would be a mixture to provide the greatest opportunity for the

reaction to occur due to the short penetration distance of the alpha. Using

a geometry where the foil surrounds the alpha source would mean the reaction

rate would be reduced drastically. As I recall for alpha/neutron sources you

normally get only a few tens of neutrons per million alphas emitted in the

source. With the referenced geometry I'm sure the effieiency would be

several orderes of magnitude less than this.



Perhaps this helps a little.



Take care all and be safe.



-----Original Message-----

From: Tom Hazlett [mailto:tomhaz@AOL.COM]

Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 3:45 AM

To: RuthWeiner@AOL.COM

Cc: sonterm@EPA.NSW.GOV.AU; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu;

Ben.Selinger@anu.edu.au

Subject: Re: FW: talk to journos





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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