Radioactive Novelty Goods (Including Uranium Marbles) Edit

Want to give a gift that keeps on giving?  How about radioactive uranium glass marbles?  The UK store, Anything Radioactive sells working Geiger Counters, t-shirts, signs, books, and of course, radio active marbles (so you can make sure your Geiger Counter is working).  Sounds harmless… ;)

About the Marbles: “Vaseline or Uranium Glass has a yellow green hue in daylight and fluoresces bright green under Ultra-Violet light. Production of Vaseline glass in Britain began in 1835 and ceased by the end of the WWII, but a small amount is still manufactured in the USA and Czech Republic. Uranium glass is weakly radioactive but it will produce a response on our DSRB-01 geiger counter. ” (Anything Radioactive)

A couple of interesting FAQs from their website:

Are Geiger counters radioactive, dangerous or illegal?

A: Simple answer here – Absolutely not. No, and No!

How about radioactive samples?

A. Glad you asked. These materials are only very mildly radioactive, just marginally above background levels, below that of the natural environment in some areas. Thay are supplied in tiny quantities of just a few milligrammes that are well inside the 0.002 microcurie per gram limits imposed by international regulatory bodies for the sale of small amounts of radioactive minerals and materials.  It is our understanding that the samples we supply fall into the ‘Exemption Orders’ categories of The Radioactive Substances Act 1993, as outlined in the Radioactivity Legislation and Regulation Exemption Orders, (Geological Specimens, Uranium, Thorium, Luminous Articles and Substances of Low Activity),  published in February 2006 by DEFRA. As a matter of interest they are also currently included in the category of ‘Unimportant quantities of Source Material’ as defined by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005 revision). Nevertheless sensible precautions should be taken in their storage and handling. Treat them as you would any small objects and containers of potentially harmful substance and keep them well out of the reach of children.