Naked Science Forum

General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: syhprum on 05/12/2020 13:28:21

Title: Have ingested radioactive particles ever shown up in scans ?
Post by: syhprum on 05/12/2020 13:28:21

when I was a boy I rather misguidedly scraped the luminous paint from old watch dials and may have ingested some, has this ever shown up on scans that use radioactive tracers

Title: Re: Have ingested radioactive particles ever shown up in scans ?
Post by: RD on 05/12/2020 13:46:15

(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i4ku7ZkdetM/WjJK_iSm97I/AAAAAAAALZI/dgFpVgUC9acEzu-8qVAEBX3FgAbVFvVeACLcBGAs/s1600/rad8.jpg)
http://lateralscience.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-radium-water-worked-fine-until-his.html

Title: Re: Have ingested radioactive particles ever shown up in scans ?
Post by: alancalverd on 05/12/2020 15:10:39

It's a standard technique for investigating respiration, normally using krypton 85.

We made several interesting discoveries after Chernobyl: smokers are more radioactive than nonsmokers (especially in radon-affected areas) and women are more radioactive than men (not fully understood but probably due to spending more time indoors).

Title: Re: Have ingested radioactive particles ever shown up in scans ?
Post by: RD on 05/12/2020 21:52:12

Quote from: alancalverd on 05/12/2020 15:10:39

... smokers are more radioactive than nonsmokers ...

Tobacco is unusually radioactive ... https://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/05/24/tobacco-firms-have-failed-to-act-on-radioactivity-in-cigarettes-heres-why/