I was wondering exactly how you clean your hands/tools up after handling this stuff. And how do you store the pellet afterward (plastic film jar, perhaps, or in steel with radiation sticker)? I just got a Gamma Scout in the mail. The background radiation rate around me is very low (.08 to .14) according to the meter. So have to try it with something more useful. :) Also, this one has the new CPS button, just for your information. All the best!
I dont know why but this looks like some scary sh*t. Is this the hobby for this generation. OMG I remember when my generation went outside and just had fun
You seem to have a lot of background gamma, far more than I would expect naturally unless you live in a particularly active area (on a uranium deposit?). What the hell else do you have stored in that room?
even your intact skin will provide 100% protection from alpha radiation - but as you were wearing thin rubber gloves, the alpha radiation was fully shielded even before it reached your skin. as long as you didnt eat any of those chips or ground them up into dust and inhaled them, you're perfectly save. your job provided much lower radiation exposure doses than a plane pilot would receive during his working hours.
Great video! I'm trying to get the americium out of my smoke detector to test my geiger counter but here in the US that aluminum housing is bolted and glued onto the circuit board. Can't blame them for not wanting ppl messing with what's inside, haha. I'll figure it out.
use power grinding tool on back of bolt, being careful to ONLY thin out the aluminum SLOWLY and by NO MEANS drill into the americium disc, which would produce very, very dangerous dust (hello there, lung cancer!). then, flip the disc around and put on a flat surface, so the source window is facing the surface. put a flattened (clip off) large nail on the thinned out backside of disc. use hammer and hit nail. Am-241 disc will fall out on desk. bend disc in shape. USE EXTREME CAUTION.
When you say "microzebit" an hour, pardon my spelling, how do you spell microzebit and is that word not of englich and another language to describe the measuring rate? How you you say it in english and or if its the same saying, how do you spell it so I can search it online and learn about what the measurement is and how its used with the safe and unsafe ratings.
@bionerd23 Thank you so much for the response! I take great joy in all the time you have spent submitting every video contributing to the science of radiation for others like myself interested into the field and looking for encouragement with experiments concerning the field. Greetings from America bionerd!
hahahaha I've always liked the German accent. Went out with a German girl living on the island in 2005. She had the same way of saying some of these words. Somehow all those zee's sound"zexy" :)
Hello bionerd. I Really appreciate the things I have learned from your videos. I have been interested in radioactivity since I was little and my Father took me to a rock & mineral exhibit. He showed me a huge piece of Uranium ore. Thanks to you, I want to learn as much as I can. You Really Know your Stuff. Keep up the Good Work !!!!
You can still get radioactive smoke detectors? Wow! Does Conrad still sell them? And how did you find out that it was radioactive when you bought it? Does the smoke detector have a name or a company which made it? Sorry for so many questions, but Id like to buy one too ;-)
they are not sold in german electronics stores anymore, no. germany does no longer allow the use of these smoke detectors as actual smoke detecting equipment, as they would cause a radioactive contamination when the house (especially a factory or storage with maybe hundreds of smoke detectors) burns down.
well, but to make it simple, you have to look out for IONIZING smoke detectors. ionizing = radioactive stuff in it. optical smoke detector = not radioactive.
Ionization (radioactive) type smoke detectors are very easy to buy and very common in North America. In a major hardware store you can buy an ionization smoke detector for less than 5 dollars.
If I found that somewhere lying on the road...I would have thought it to be of some metal and might have picked it up and walked with it in my pocket lol
1. it is illegal in the USA, but not where i live.
2. you can create neutrons out of an alpha emitter (such as Am-241) and an appropriate target. for a critical mass, you'd need an insane amount of smoke detectors (hundreds of thousands - for a total of 60 kilograms (!!), maybe half if you've got a good neutron reflector).
ops. i've done the math and have to admit i was far off. 0.2mg per smoke detector only... that means you need threehunded million smoke detectors to make a nuclear bomb. oh well. also, it's not pure Am-241, so it's quite impure... but therefor, let's say you've for a really good neutron reflector... maybe you'll only onehundred million smoke detectors, or about fivehundred million dollars. ;)
i think it's best to just go to russia with that cash and buy some stuff on the black market, lol.
@bionerd23 in the UK there is (or at least was) a law where you can get free smoke detectors 1 per room (apart from bathrooms) so if you have 30,000,000 rooms in your house then you can get enough to make a nuke
@mcgeehanclanfam u can also find uranium about anywhere, and to make an atomic fission weapon, you would need hundreds of millions of these, radioactive metals are everywhere so mmm, stupid government.
@mcgeehanclanfam rofl, "Most people" could make a nuke with it???? Most people have no idea how to make a nuke at all, and .3 microcuries of Americium isn't going to help those who DO know how to make a nuke.
dont eat it, and especially dont grind it into dust and breathe it in - an alpha emitter OUTSIDE of your body is not much of a concern, but inside the body is a whole different story. if you want, put it in a container and sleep with it under your pillow, lol. nah, there's still a few gamma rays from Am-241 that'd hit you - but yeah, not a concerning amount. however, it's probably best to not do unnecessary exposures... unless you're radiophile, like me. ;)
@bionerd23 Yeah I am pretty much the same as you as far as being obsessed with radiation is concerned but probably not on the scale you have lol, but thanks again.
you'd likely excrete them again, but you'll receive quite a bit of an internal dose while they're going though. not sure what the long-term effects of that would be, but i think it's best not to try.
@s28400 im still alive lol. the doctor said i had an internal dose of 74 miliseverts, only increased my cance of cancer by like 1.5 to 2 percent which is nothing
what vapor? there's only helium being released from Am-241 (alpha decay), which, as we all know, is not dangerous to breathe, but only gives you a funny voice if you inhale the pure gas. :)
@bionerd23 i read if its heated to around 2000C it releases a vapor. this is one of its main health hazards as it enters the lungs and into the blood stream depositing in the bones and kidney causing cancer. it can also be chipped to dust and inhaled, didnt you know this? also what would happen if say you were to get that AM source and hold it to an open wound for a few hours? ( not that i recommend trying).
Very interesting video - thank you for making it. You really know your stuff and I learned a lot. I finally got a sense of why gamma is mixed in with the alpha and beta.
Strange this fascination with radioactivity. I got hooked, and wound up making my own Geiger counter. ( BroHogan channel - I guess you can't post links! ) Maybe because it's a part of the world that's there, but you can not see.
I'll check out your other videos too, but just wanted to say thanks - Thanks!
personally, i am fascinated by radioactivity as it can be made visible and audible (think of cloud chambers and geiger counters), it can be grasped - it proves the "atom theory" for me, as i dont believe stuff i havent seen / experienced myself... so this is - for me - the fundamental stuff to build upon when trying to understand how our world and our universe works. and i can build upon this, as "seeing is believing". :)
it's not harmful unless ingested, as it's mainly alpha radiation. you can block ionizing radiation with e.g. lead; for weaker radiation, especially betas, aluminum would be best to prevent bremsstrahlung. alpha radiation can be shielded with even paper, no matter the energy. as for gamma or x-rays, you will need lead, with the thickness being dependant on the energy of the rays. if you have strong betas, you'd best shield them with aluminum first, then with lead.
so basically, all heavy / dense materials are very good shields. lead is the heaviest non-radioactive material around, but you could also use uranium metal to shield much more radioactive substances, such as caesium 137.
5/5! Nice! It can be a pain getting the source out of the aluminum! I've had trouble with a few. Some older types contain Ra-226! I did get a 2nd GM counter: A CDV-700 6b (Victoreen). I just can't afford the Gamma Scout right now. Mine has the "pickle" probe, and that only measures beta and gamma. The pancake probe costs about ~$250! I just can't afford that now... Anyways, Thanks for the all the help! I like the decay charts! I decided to make my own! It's very useful! Thanks!
I hav a question.. I took apart my soke alarm not knowing about this radiation source. I found out after... I took it apart cause it would stop beeping i thought it was dusty so i blew into it a couple times.
Once i took the whitep lasic case of the alarm off a thin peice of round metal fell to the floor. It was a little bigger then a silver dollar and as thin as paper almost. I blew hot breath on it and wiped it with my shirt and put it back in.
that doesnt sound like a typical americium disk; are you sure it was an ionizing smoke detector, and not an optical one? did it have any radiation warning signs (trefoils) on the inside, and / or a stated activity (in microcurie)?
No it dosnt have warnings on it. The disk was sitting on top of a cylindrical object. It just fell out when i opened it. Its like a metal plate of some sort.. I thought that was the americium.. However after watching all these video's from you and other people it seem the americium is a tiny pinky sized object. Not a plate.
yeah, and especially it wouldnt just fall out when disassembling the smoke detector; it is usually contained in a plastic or metal (aluminum) case. i think you had a different kind of smoke detector there.
@1ownjoo2 No that wasnt the americium, that is under where that disc usually is but tbh you probably got a bit of radiation but probably not too much, not like this retard in the video... shes probably died of cancer by now lol
@tomato098 na she is very cool, and knows a hella lot about this stuff lol. Now that i learned more from her i relised i wasnt in any danger even if it was americium
That stuff is not dangerous, unless you ate it. Closeby the gamma radiation is only about twice normal background. When the counter went crazy, that was due to alpha particles which cant travel that far, just paper or the dead layer on your skin can stop alphas. But inside your body, tissues dont have that protective layer, and alpha sources can be very dangerous if inhaled or ingested.
@forwardbias what would happen if you inhaled it? i guess if you added some sort of flame or heat it would give off a vapor. so what would happen to you?
@forwardbias Very true. The Alpha radiation can be very dangerous and cause cancer as the alpha tracks irridiate your cells and cause mutations and eventually cancer. A lot of people dont understand how dangerous alpha radiation can be once its in your body. This is why Depleted Uranium is so dangerous, either in particle form or burned up in Uranium Oxide form, it enters your body, your lungs, your food, your internal organs. Depleted Uranium is also chemically toxic, like Lead or Mercury.
@forwardbias Yes, but lucky for us they use americium oxide in smoke detectors, and not americium. Fortunately for us Americium oxide is insoluble in the human GI, so it would pass through us with little damage. Pure americium (Found in sealed nuclear powerplants) is much more dangerous and would collect in our bones if we ate it. Eating the americium oxide might give you some sores, but it won't kill you.
If you want to see the scintillations from your Am alphas, you need Ag-activated ZnS powder or plastic film impregnated with it. The phosphor must be matched to the energy of the source, just like X-ray contrast must have its absorbtion spectrum matched to the X-ray energy, as set by the tube voltage and anode material.
Gy is equal to Sv (the reading in my video is uSv/h), so conversion factor is 1:1. :)
how high that reading should be? depends on the counter as well as the source. if it's a 1 uCi source, it should have the same reading as mine (gamma / beta). some smoke detectors use less or more than that activity, though... so yeah, it depends.
Very Nice! 5/5! I have seen a lot of your videos and they are fascinating! I love this same topic! I have 6 Am-241 sources (1.0uCi each) inside of a small gemstone case. My dosimeter is a Terra-P type, which is used more for safety, but it is a nice Geiger-Muller counter. How much is the Gamma Scout? I have been wanting to get a 2nd one, to study more of my radioactive collection. I find your radioactive collection Awesome! I would love to have a collection like yours! Keep up the great work!
the gamma scout is about $500 USD i think... it's pretty expensive. in germany, there are three different versions (silent one, w/alarm, and online), but i think there's just one version (w/alarm but not stated as that with a sticker) for overseas.
it really depends on what exactly you want to do with it, though; for e.g. logging function, different mode of measurements, etc. the gamma scout rocks. otherwise, e.g. the much cheaper CDV (victoreen) device may be sufficient, too.
Thanks for the Reply! I love your videos! I also love the way you describe how unstable elements decay, and what their parent and daughter isotopes are, like with your charts! But the Gamma Scout looks like a nice accurate dosimeter. My GM tube, has a polymer seal around it, so it doesn't go up that high, with Am-241, mine goes up to 5.00 - 5.60 uSv/h, and the source is 1.0 uCi. That's the problem, but I know it's used to keep the tube from EMF, Static, and Oxidation. Anyways, Thanks A Lot!
yeah, that'll be gamma radiation only what you're measuring. you'd need a mica window / alpha detector; for some devices - like the victoreen models - there are replacement tubes / pancake probes and such.
Do you think the gamma you measured is coming from the betas emitted by Pa233? They are listed at 570kEv which seems to be a lot of energy and would produce Bremsstrahlung?
not ONLY, that's for sure - Am-241 produces a significant amount of gamma radiation, too. however, high-energy beta radiation can pass the "gamma only" shield quite well, too.
bremsstrahlung would most likely not be produced, as it occurs in heavy elements only (lead); the gamma shield is made out of aluminum, however.
Very true...i was ignoring the shield used...how is the gamma coming from the Am-241 itself or is it coming from other nuclides? I'm often not sure when gamma will be produced...is there even such thing a a 'pure' gamma emitter? Take Tc99m...the gamma comes from de-excitation rather than a decay proper...
Is there a true decay mechanism that produces only gamma?
well, the gammas are coming from the excited-stage daughter nuclides, not from the mother (americium) itself. Am-241 undergoes an alpha decay, and the daughter nuclide Np-237 emits the excitation energy as a gamma quantum. the energy of this gamma quantum depends on the decay and probabilities and can differ a lot (or not happen at all, when the daughter nuclide is in the ground state right after decay); you can see an in-dept list on that in NUCLIDE CHARTS, just google for that. :)
the m in Tc-99m only stands for a meta-stable nuclide; it emits the gamma quantum like any other gamma emitter / daughter nuclide. "metastable" only means that the gamma ray is emitted after a comparably "long" time (i think per definition, that means after more than 1 second (i dont remember exactly though, could be 3 or 10 seconds as well, would have to look that up); the non-metastable excited atoms emit the gamma quantum in way under a second after decay.
thus, there is no such thing as a "gamma decay" - only gamma emission. a gamma emission produces no change within the atom's nucleus.
like, Tc-99m transmits into its ground state after ~6 hours by emitting a gamma ray; the resulting daughter nuclide Tc-99 then decays by emitting a beta particle; the resulting daughter nuclide Ru-99 is stable, in the ground state right after decay, and emits no further gamma quantum.
I'm glad that I am understanding the various sources of gamma emission. The key point is that the gammas come from the nuclide falling to the ground state rather than any other process. Simply the atom shedding energy!
I see the Am241 decay produces gammas at ~ 59 and 26 keV.
no. only the IONIZING smoke detectors use americium. earlier, radium was also used, but this is no longer the case as far as i know. nowadays, a lot of smoke detectors are OPTICAL smoke detectors, though - they do not contain radioactive material.
I believe some European law was changed and new detectors have must not be ionizing...
Interestingly I was reading earlier that the legal exemption (in the UK) for Am-241 only permits the amount while it's INSIDE a smoke detector 'module'.
Could you pop off one of the ends of a small linear fluorescent bulb and place the 241Am inside the bulb to see if it fluoresces from the ionizing radiation bombarding the white phosphorus in the bulb?
that was actually the first thing i tried to cause fluorescence in, way before i had the scintillation screen... and nope, that doesnt work, either. good idea, though!
ps: to everybody wanting to try this, be sure to break the bulb OUTSIDE, not in your house... these bulbs contain rather large amounts of mercury vapor, which is poisonous when inhaled.
could you take a piece of glow in the dark material and place it over the 241Americium to see if it excites the Phosphor and causes it to self illuminate
can you place an ohm meter on the surface of the 241Am, I wanted to see after the 241Am emits an Alpha if the 2 additional electrons leave a charge on the surface of the 241Am, if it loses 2 protons then it has to lose 2 electrons, I wanted to know where these two electrons go, if they register on an ohm meter then maybe we can make Atomic Batteries out of it.
interesting idea, i dont think anything will be measurable, but then again, i dont know - i will try it out as soon as possible, i'm just quite busy these days, but will do!
just tried it; my device is sadly too inaccurate to measure the real resistance, as it's very low... so i cannot measure any fluctuations. i also tried thorium welding electrodes - which have a measurable resistance - but i dont see fluctuations in the measurement there, either (then again, they only contain 2% Th). sorry about that, but i really cannot tell you more, as i lack equipment that is sensitive enough for this.
nope, only ionizing smoke detectors use e.g. Am-241. some older ones use Ra-226, too... and the other ones - optical smoke detectors - just use visible light.
it's not really dangerous; most of the radiation emitted by it is alpha radiation, anyway. i wouldnt carry radioactive stuff around on / near my body if its not necessary, though.
Alpha radiation travels only few inches in air. Not very dangerous. Probably NO radiation would reach you if you put that source into backpack in plastic recepient.
My advice: get some antistatic foil bags designed for handling electrostatic discharge sensitive devices - they block about all radiation from sources like Americium from smoke detector.
Do you know what will happen if I put amercium from a smoke detector into a microwave? do the radiation of the americium will make someting special in presence of the microwave?
be sure to put some water or a potato with it into the microwave, or it'll take damage due to a lack of content / reflected waves. the metal will cause sparks and reflections, too, but not sure if that surface is sufficient to damage the microwave.
Not sure if my last post posted??? Very nice video :)
Please may I ask the best place to learn about radiation, to truly grasp it as you have?
Also, I assume I am safe to open my smoke detector?
Finally, please I hope you won't judge British people by the stupid comments of some. Most of us are not as dumb fucking crazy and idiotic, it's a shame you met the minority who are. The stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me. C'est la vie.
hm, that question isn't easy to answer. wikipedia is a good start, then try other websites, books... and most important of all, use your brain while reading all that, as some stuff may seem contrary.
well, it's in theory safe to open your smoke detector, yes, but it may be illegal, not sure about the laws in the UK.
i dont judge anybody by their nationality, dont worry. there are many idiots in every country, and there are a few awesome people in every country, too. and prejudice = stupidity.
yAy!
going nuts!
Traf0c0il3r97 3 days ago
I was wondering exactly how you clean your hands/tools up after handling this stuff. And how do you store the pellet afterward (plastic film jar, perhaps, or in steel with radiation sticker)? I just got a Gamma Scout in the mail. The background radiation rate around me is very low (.08 to .14) according to the meter. So have to try it with something more useful. :) Also, this one has the new CPS button, just for your information. All the best!
privatear2001 1 week ago
I dont know why but this looks like some scary sh*t. Is this the hobby for this generation. OMG I remember when my generation went outside and just had fun
Holloway6151975 1 month ago
Yeah when I tested my americium source for the first time my eyes widened, never seen anything.g like that b4 and I'm a collector as well!
AIRburst95 1 month ago
You seem to have a lot of background gamma, far more than I would expect naturally unless you live in a particularly active area (on a uranium deposit?). What the hell else do you have stored in that room?
aaroncake 1 month ago
play with a little bit of caesium-137 i want to see it glow - but please don't get sick from it.
vzclubbie 1 month ago
did i just hear stephen hawking?? :O?
jack342able 2 months ago
should not touch without gloves. if you have a cut and a stray alpha particle enters, that would not be the best thing
exet 3 months ago
"alluminium shit" :)
activeproandrey 3 months ago
pretty small because i got an older smoke detector with an americium source thats as big as one of those chocolate coins
diegonikki 4 months ago
Alumeeeeenium
JellycarpPhD 5 months ago
Great I used 2 add that americium 241 to the little holder I have touched 1000's of them with thin rubber gloves on!
Any time anyone dropped 1 they got the giger counter out & searched for ages till it was found.
Does this meean I'll be looking forward 2 a slow horrible death?
fluffatronix 5 months ago
@fluffatronix
even your intact skin will provide 100% protection from alpha radiation - but as you were wearing thin rubber gloves, the alpha radiation was fully shielded even before it reached your skin. as long as you didnt eat any of those chips or ground them up into dust and inhaled them, you're perfectly save. your job provided much lower radiation exposure doses than a plane pilot would receive during his working hours.
bionerd23 5 months ago
@bionerd23 Well I hope so!
Thank you for your help
At least I may have helped saved some poeple from burning to death.
fluffatronix 5 months ago
how much does a geiger counter/dosimeter like yours cost, i want one!
UrbanTurban007 6 months ago
are you a kid?
dunose1 7 months ago
CANCER!
quangluu96 7 months ago
Jesus, bionerd, switch to decaf!
(JK) You're cool!
CrudeDude 7 months ago
I like what you did with that tetris there
psalmsofplanets0722 8 months ago
My Smoke Detector has Americium 241
KnocKoffReviews 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
since you like radioactive stuff I was wondering if you ever considered to build a nuclear reactor or a breeder reactor.
mdluby10 10 months ago
since you like radioactive stuff I was wondering if you ever considered to build a nuclear reactor or a breeder reactor.
mdluby10 10 months ago
@mdluby10 Look up "Radioactive Boyscout". He built "things" in his mom's garden shed and had the EPA and the NRC pay him a visit. It's a great story.
CrudeDude 7 months ago
if its radioactive then y r u touching it ithought u werent sopposed touch the radioactive middle core isnt an alpha emiter ????
123454736 10 months ago
Great video! I'm trying to get the americium out of my smoke detector to test my geiger counter but here in the US that aluminum housing is bolted and glued onto the circuit board. Can't blame them for not wanting ppl messing with what's inside, haha. I'll figure it out.
kanadu 10 months ago
I was wondering how do you think you get the americium out of the whole bolt?
mdluby10 10 months ago
@mdluby10
use power grinding tool on back of bolt, being careful to ONLY thin out the aluminum SLOWLY and by NO MEANS drill into the americium disc, which would produce very, very dangerous dust (hello there, lung cancer!). then, flip the disc around and put on a flat surface, so the source window is facing the surface. put a flattened (clip off) large nail on the thinned out backside of disc. use hammer and hit nail. Am-241 disc will fall out on desk. bend disc in shape. USE EXTREME CAUTION.
bionerd23 10 months ago
Phone call at 1:35 lol
iElite6809 1 year ago
When you say "microzebit" an hour, pardon my spelling, how do you spell microzebit and is that word not of englich and another language to describe the measuring rate? How you you say it in english and or if its the same saying, how do you spell it so I can search it online and learn about what the measurement is and how its used with the safe and unsafe ratings.
thepeach12345 1 year ago
@thepeach12345
it's microsievert (base unit "sievert", obviously). i just suck at speaking human languages, pradon me. :P
bionerd23 1 year ago 4
@bionerd23 Thank you so much for the response! I take great joy in all the time you have spent submitting every video contributing to the science of radiation for others like myself interested into the field and looking for encouragement with experiments concerning the field. Greetings from America bionerd!
ps Do you have a Facebook??
thepeach12345 1 year ago
@bionerd23
hahahaha I've always liked the German accent. Went out with a German girl living on the island in 2005. She had the same way of saying some of these words. Somehow all those zee's sound"zexy" :)
privatear2001 1 week ago
The mobile phone bugged you in tune with the music lol
jjovereats 1 year ago
you are gonna get cancer oh noe
8head969 1 year ago
Mmmm I love to eat Americium for breakfast. its so yummy.
That's right, it's Americium, the only place with a name in science. not Europium, Francium, or Germanium. GOD BLESS AMERICIUM.
Why is it Americium in smoke detectors? because Americans are the hottest people on Earth!
i wonder how many people will take this post seriously...
glaxko2 1 year ago
I would eat this for breakfast. Probably tastes better than torianite.
cassiavc 1 year ago
Hello bionerd. I Really appreciate the things I have learned from your videos. I have been interested in radioactivity since I was little and my Father took me to a rock & mineral exhibit. He showed me a huge piece of Uranium ore. Thanks to you, I want to learn as much as I can. You Really Know your Stuff. Keep up the Good Work !!!!
vacuumtubeTV 1 year ago
I don't know if dissecting a smoke detector became illegal before or after David Hahn build the nuclear reactor in his back yard.
TakronRust 1 year ago
Just to note, just one home ionizing smoke detector contains enough Americium 241 to kill a couple thousand people. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME!
draphaelc 1 year ago
Very good demonstration of taking apart a smoke detector, and of the decay chain.
Thanks!
mgregggphone 1 year ago
@mikemow95
at a store called CONRAD.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23
You can still get radioactive smoke detectors? Wow! Does Conrad still sell them? And how did you find out that it was radioactive when you bought it? Does the smoke detector have a name or a company which made it? Sorry for so many questions, but Id like to buy one too ;-)
Doppelbuckel 1 year ago
@Doppelbuckel
they are not sold in german electronics stores anymore, no. germany does no longer allow the use of these smoke detectors as actual smoke detecting equipment, as they would cause a radioactive contamination when the house (especially a factory or storage with maybe hundreds of smoke detectors) burns down.
well, but to make it simple, you have to look out for IONIZING smoke detectors. ionizing = radioactive stuff in it. optical smoke detector = not radioactive.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23
okay... you know that americum 241 its HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE and you should use gloves and wash your hands really well
geigerscounters23 11 months ago
@Doppelbuckel
Ionization (radioactive) type smoke detectors are very easy to buy and very common in North America. In a major hardware store you can buy an ionization smoke detector for less than 5 dollars.
@bionerd23
It would be interesting if you showed the botton of your Americium decay chain sheet !!!
12Pascal21 11 months ago
Great video. Thanks for posting it.
fbt2007 1 year ago
If I found that somewhere lying on the road...I would have thought it to be of some metal and might have picked it up and walked with it in my pocket lol
shantam777 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Taking americum out of the smoke detector is illegal. Most people could make a nuke with it
mcgeehanclanfam 1 year ago
@mcgeehanclanfam
1. it is illegal in the USA, but not where i live.
2. you can create neutrons out of an alpha emitter (such as Am-241) and an appropriate target. for a critical mass, you'd need an insane amount of smoke detectors (hundreds of thousands - for a total of 60 kilograms (!!), maybe half if you've got a good neutron reflector).
bionerd23 1 year ago
ops. i've done the math and have to admit i was far off. 0.2mg per smoke detector only... that means you need threehunded million smoke detectors to make a nuclear bomb. oh well. also, it's not pure Am-241, so it's quite impure... but therefor, let's say you've for a really good neutron reflector... maybe you'll only onehundred million smoke detectors, or about fivehundred million dollars. ;)
i think it's best to just go to russia with that cash and buy some stuff on the black market, lol.
bionerd23 1 year ago 13
@bionerd23 in the UK there is (or at least was) a law where you can get free smoke detectors 1 per room (apart from bathrooms) so if you have 30,000,000 rooms in your house then you can get enough to make a nuke
1993gandy 1 year ago
@1993gandy lmao...........
MindCrazedBanjo 1 year ago
@bionerd23 Actually it is not mg. It is in micrograms. I calculated that 0.9 uCi means 0.3 ug of Am241.
vmelkon 1 year ago
@mcgeehanclanfam u can also find uranium about anywhere, and to make an atomic fission weapon, you would need hundreds of millions of these, radioactive metals are everywhere so mmm, stupid government.
TheTownsvillian 1 year ago
@mcgeehanclanfam rofl, "Most people" could make a nuke with it???? Most people have no idea how to make a nuke at all, and .3 microcuries of Americium isn't going to help those who DO know how to make a nuke.
DjinnJuggler 1 year ago
@mcgeehanclanfam bullshit, you can't get enough and americium may not be fissile
MrDainbramage1 1 year ago
So i have that too. Will it be harmfull to the human body or is it too small? thanks
s28400 1 year ago
@s28400
dont eat it, and especially dont grind it into dust and breathe it in - an alpha emitter OUTSIDE of your body is not much of a concern, but inside the body is a whole different story. if you want, put it in a container and sleep with it under your pillow, lol. nah, there's still a few gamma rays from Am-241 that'd hit you - but yeah, not a concerning amount. however, it's probably best to not do unnecessary exposures... unless you're radiophile, like me. ;)
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 Yeah I am pretty much the same as you as far as being obsessed with radiation is concerned but probably not on the scale you have lol, but thanks again.
s28400 1 year ago
@s28400 The type of stuff it emits can't go through a piece of paper. But yes it emits
enough radiation that would hurt your internal organs in the long run.
A3R0SPACE054 1 year ago
now you need to remove the gold colored thing in the button and let us see the REAL americium
EPICGUYDUDE 1 year ago
@EPICGUYDUDE
already did that; watch?v=MvzqBs3KHAg from about 2:40 on.
bionerd23 1 year ago
when i was feeling sick i went to the doctor, apparently i received an internal dose of 74 milizibtes ( i thinks its called) is that bad?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@InvaderZimFan101
you just made that up. :P
the unit does not exist, anyway.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 no rly, the form says radioactive source equates to a dose of 74 milliseverts. milizibtes lol dont know what i was on when i wrote that.
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
what would happen if you were to swallow 10 of these americium sources?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@InvaderZimFan101
you'd likely excrete them again, but you'll receive quite a bit of an internal dose while they're going though. not sure what the long-term effects of that would be, but i think it's best not to try.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 too late
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@InvaderZimFan101 You would become a superhero! or most likely, you would die.
s28400 1 year ago
@s28400 im still alive lol. the doctor said i had an internal dose of 74 miliseverts, only increased my cance of cancer by like 1.5 to 2 percent which is nothing
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
Is this the stuff that fried your webcam CCD? Its so small! And so destructive, lovely :D
viciokas1993 1 year ago
@viciokas1993
yep, exactly, that's the stuff. ;)
bionerd23 1 year ago
you need to hold the counter at the source for longer, it takes a time average of a 'random' decay.
daenumen 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
i wander if i increase the decay by getting the am241 red hot?
ldragonheart 1 year ago
i wander if i increase the decay by getting the am241 red hot?
ldragonheart 1 year ago
hey could i increse the decay by getting the americium 241 red hot???
ldragonheart 1 year ago
@ldragonheart sorry forgot i posted...
ldragonheart 1 year ago
@ldragonheart
no.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 yo bionerd23 what would happen to you if you inhaled the vapor released from Am 241?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@InvaderZimFan101
what vapor? there's only helium being released from Am-241 (alpha decay), which, as we all know, is not dangerous to breathe, but only gives you a funny voice if you inhale the pure gas. :)
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 i read if its heated to around 2000C it releases a vapor. this is one of its main health hazards as it enters the lungs and into the blood stream depositing in the bones and kidney causing cancer. it can also be chipped to dust and inhaled, didnt you know this? also what would happen if say you were to get that AM source and hold it to an open wound for a few hours? ( not that i recommend trying).
what do you think would happen?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@InvaderZimFan101
you never said anything about heating before.
of course an alpha emitter - having a radiation weighting factor of 20 when ingested - would do damage to your lungs indeed.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 what about the wound thing?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@bionerd23 please reply ASAP i wanna know.
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
Very interesting video - thank you for making it. You really know your stuff and I learned a lot. I finally got a sense of why gamma is mixed in with the alpha and beta.
Strange this fascination with radioactivity. I got hooked, and wound up making my own Geiger counter. ( BroHogan channel - I guess you can't post links! ) Maybe because it's a part of the world that's there, but you can not see.
I'll check out your other videos too, but just wanted to say thanks - Thanks!
BroHogan 1 year ago
@BroHogan
wow, i like your setup - great DIY counter, though not really portable like that, lol!
bionerd23 1 year ago
@BroHogan
personally, i am fascinated by radioactivity as it can be made visible and audible (think of cloud chambers and geiger counters), it can be grasped - it proves the "atom theory" for me, as i dont believe stuff i havent seen / experienced myself... so this is - for me - the fundamental stuff to build upon when trying to understand how our world and our universe works. and i can build upon this, as "seeing is believing". :)
bionerd23 1 year ago
@bionerd23 What about those who are blind and cannot see? Do things not exist if they cannot see them or sense them? I am Christian, haha :)
ntrudr800 1 year ago
lol lets play some tetris motherfucker
darksideofthebrick13 1 year ago
10+ for the tetris :)
mdc2296 1 year ago
is this amount of radiation harmful? what materials could I use to absorb radiation?
mittensthesnipercat 1 year ago
@mittensthesnipercat
it's not harmful unless ingested, as it's mainly alpha radiation. you can block ionizing radiation with e.g. lead; for weaker radiation, especially betas, aluminum would be best to prevent bremsstrahlung. alpha radiation can be shielded with even paper, no matter the energy. as for gamma or x-rays, you will need lead, with the thickness being dependant on the energy of the rays. if you have strong betas, you'd best shield them with aluminum first, then with lead.
bionerd23 1 year ago
@mittensthesnipercat
so basically, all heavy / dense materials are very good shields. lead is the heaviest non-radioactive material around, but you could also use uranium metal to shield much more radioactive substances, such as caesium 137.
bionerd23 1 year ago
the background radiation in this room is quite high isn't it ? It's only 0.10 -0.18 uSv in my room lol
J0Boa 1 year ago
@J0Boa He may be living on top of a deposit of granite or other naturally radioactive material.
soundspark 1 year ago
@soundspark possibly, but still unusually high
J0Boa 1 year ago
i love all your videos im fasinated by radiation thanks
MrLegojack 2 years ago
5/5! Nice! It can be a pain getting the source out of the aluminum! I've had trouble with a few. Some older types contain Ra-226! I did get a 2nd GM counter: A CDV-700 6b (Victoreen). I just can't afford the Gamma Scout right now. Mine has the "pickle" probe, and that only measures beta and gamma. The pancake probe costs about ~$250! I just can't afford that now... Anyways, Thanks for the all the help! I like the decay charts! I decided to make my own! It's very useful! Thanks!
KarbineKyle 2 years ago
I hav a question.. I took apart my soke alarm not knowing about this radiation source. I found out after... I took it apart cause it would stop beeping i thought it was dusty so i blew into it a couple times.
Once i took the whitep lasic case of the alarm off a thin peice of round metal fell to the floor. It was a little bigger then a silver dollar and as thin as paper almost. I blew hot breath on it and wiped it with my shirt and put it back in.
Am i ok ? Was that the americium ?
1ownjoo2 2 years ago
that doesnt sound like a typical americium disk; are you sure it was an ionizing smoke detector, and not an optical one? did it have any radiation warning signs (trefoils) on the inside, and / or a stated activity (in microcurie)?
bionerd23 2 years ago
@bionerd23
No it dosnt have warnings on it. The disk was sitting on top of a cylindrical object. It just fell out when i opened it. Its like a metal plate of some sort.. I thought that was the americium.. However after watching all these video's from you and other people it seem the americium is a tiny pinky sized object. Not a plate.
1ownjoo2 2 years ago
yeah, and especially it wouldnt just fall out when disassembling the smoke detector; it is usually contained in a plastic or metal (aluminum) case. i think you had a different kind of smoke detector there.
bionerd23 2 years ago
no, that was probably the piezo speaker.
MrGoogfan 1 year ago
That was the piezo buzzer. I is not harmful at all it is just a different kind of speaker.
mmarandola3 1 year ago
@1ownjoo2 No that wasnt the americium, that is under where that disc usually is but tbh you probably got a bit of radiation but probably not too much, not like this retard in the video... shes probably died of cancer by now lol
tomato098 1 year ago
@tomato098 na she is very cool, and knows a hella lot about this stuff lol. Now that i learned more from her i relised i wasnt in any danger even if it was americium
1ownjoo2 1 year ago
That stuff is not dangerous, unless you ate it. Closeby the gamma radiation is only about twice normal background. When the counter went crazy, that was due to alpha particles which cant travel that far, just paper or the dead layer on your skin can stop alphas. But inside your body, tissues dont have that protective layer, and alpha sources can be very dangerous if inhaled or ingested.
forwardbias 2 years ago 11
@forwardbias what would happen if you inhaled it? i guess if you added some sort of flame or heat it would give off a vapor. so what would happen to you?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
@forwardbias Very true. The Alpha radiation can be very dangerous and cause cancer as the alpha tracks irridiate your cells and cause mutations and eventually cancer. A lot of people dont understand how dangerous alpha radiation can be once its in your body. This is why Depleted Uranium is so dangerous, either in particle form or burned up in Uranium Oxide form, it enters your body, your lungs, your food, your internal organs. Depleted Uranium is also chemically toxic, like Lead or Mercury.
mrjustin5 1 year ago
@forwardbias Yes, but lucky for us they use americium oxide in smoke detectors, and not americium. Fortunately for us Americium oxide is insoluble in the human GI, so it would pass through us with little damage. Pure americium (Found in sealed nuclear powerplants) is much more dangerous and would collect in our bones if we ate it. Eating the americium oxide might give you some sores, but it won't kill you.
skyeliam 10 months ago
You're insane.
supasonicman 2 years ago
EAT IT!!!!!!!!!!
mrzone64 2 years ago
If you want to see the scintillations from your Am alphas, you need Ag-activated ZnS powder or plastic film impregnated with it. The phosphor must be matched to the energy of the source, just like X-ray contrast must have its absorbtion spectrum matched to the X-ray energy, as set by the tube voltage and anode material.
bearou 2 years ago
thanks for the tip, i always wanted to do that... shame i dont really know where to get ZnS-Ag here. -_-
bionerd23 2 years ago
Not sure how to post links, but here is the youtube code for the video where my friend Jeri makes a spinthariscope v=hnKCjo7y6qM
chrisgj198 2 years ago
Dude your gona have cancer soon... gamma radiation is gona kill u :/
mapleguy1029384756 2 years ago
Do you have third hand or feet?
ThoRQ88 2 years ago
sadly not. i'd love to, it'd make so much things easier - at least the third hand would!
bionerd23 2 years ago
hehe.. xD
ThoRQ88 2 years ago
Gy is equal to Sv (the reading in my video is uSv/h), so conversion factor is 1:1. :)
how high that reading should be? depends on the counter as well as the source. if it's a 1 uCi source, it should have the same reading as mine (gamma / beta). some smoke detectors use less or more than that activity, though... so yeah, it depends.
bionerd23 2 years ago
Very Nice! 5/5! I have seen a lot of your videos and they are fascinating! I love this same topic! I have 6 Am-241 sources (1.0uCi each) inside of a small gemstone case. My dosimeter is a Terra-P type, which is used more for safety, but it is a nice Geiger-Muller counter. How much is the Gamma Scout? I have been wanting to get a 2nd one, to study more of my radioactive collection. I find your radioactive collection Awesome! I would love to have a collection like yours! Keep up the great work!
KarbineKyle 2 years ago
thanks :)
the gamma scout is about $500 USD i think... it's pretty expensive. in germany, there are three different versions (silent one, w/alarm, and online), but i think there's just one version (w/alarm but not stated as that with a sticker) for overseas.
it really depends on what exactly you want to do with it, though; for e.g. logging function, different mode of measurements, etc. the gamma scout rocks. otherwise, e.g. the much cheaper CDV (victoreen) device may be sufficient, too.
bionerd23 2 years ago
Thanks for the Reply! I love your videos! I also love the way you describe how unstable elements decay, and what their parent and daughter isotopes are, like with your charts! But the Gamma Scout looks like a nice accurate dosimeter. My GM tube, has a polymer seal around it, so it doesn't go up that high, with Am-241, mine goes up to 5.00 - 5.60 uSv/h, and the source is 1.0 uCi. That's the problem, but I know it's used to keep the tube from EMF, Static, and Oxidation. Anyways, Thanks A Lot!
KarbineKyle 2 years ago
yeah, that'll be gamma radiation only what you're measuring. you'd need a mica window / alpha detector; for some devices - like the victoreen models - there are replacement tubes / pancake probes and such.
bionerd23 2 years ago
eat it
0o0o0o0zero0o0o0o0 2 years ago
Do you think the gamma you measured is coming from the betas emitted by Pa233? They are listed at 570kEv which seems to be a lot of energy and would produce Bremsstrahlung?
kneecaps2000 2 years ago
not ONLY, that's for sure - Am-241 produces a significant amount of gamma radiation, too. however, high-energy beta radiation can pass the "gamma only" shield quite well, too.
bremsstrahlung would most likely not be produced, as it occurs in heavy elements only (lead); the gamma shield is made out of aluminum, however.
bionerd23 2 years ago
Very true...i was ignoring the shield used...how is the gamma coming from the Am-241 itself or is it coming from other nuclides? I'm often not sure when gamma will be produced...is there even such thing a a 'pure' gamma emitter? Take Tc99m...the gamma comes from de-excitation rather than a decay proper...
Is there a true decay mechanism that produces only gamma?
kneecaps2000 2 years ago
well, the gammas are coming from the excited-stage daughter nuclides, not from the mother (americium) itself. Am-241 undergoes an alpha decay, and the daughter nuclide Np-237 emits the excitation energy as a gamma quantum. the energy of this gamma quantum depends on the decay and probabilities and can differ a lot (or not happen at all, when the daughter nuclide is in the ground state right after decay); you can see an in-dept list on that in NUCLIDE CHARTS, just google for that. :)
bionerd23 2 years ago
the m in Tc-99m only stands for a meta-stable nuclide; it emits the gamma quantum like any other gamma emitter / daughter nuclide. "metastable" only means that the gamma ray is emitted after a comparably "long" time (i think per definition, that means after more than 1 second (i dont remember exactly though, could be 3 or 10 seconds as well, would have to look that up); the non-metastable excited atoms emit the gamma quantum in way under a second after decay.
bionerd23 2 years ago
thus, there is no such thing as a "gamma decay" - only gamma emission. a gamma emission produces no change within the atom's nucleus.
like, Tc-99m transmits into its ground state after ~6 hours by emitting a gamma ray; the resulting daughter nuclide Tc-99 then decays by emitting a beta particle; the resulting daughter nuclide Ru-99 is stable, in the ground state right after decay, and emits no further gamma quantum.
bionerd23 2 years ago
edit: of course Tc99 is not the "daughter nuclide" but the ground state of Tc99m, sorry, ignore that please. :)
bionerd23 2 years ago
I know what you mean! :)
I'm glad that I am understanding the various sources of gamma emission. The key point is that the gammas come from the nuclide falling to the ground state rather than any other process. Simply the atom shedding energy!
I see the Am241 decay produces gammas at ~ 59 and 26 keV.
kneecaps2000 2 years ago
all smoke detectors today have radioactive americium?
martyn347 2 years ago
no. only the IONIZING smoke detectors use americium. earlier, radium was also used, but this is no longer the case as far as i know. nowadays, a lot of smoke detectors are OPTICAL smoke detectors, though - they do not contain radioactive material.
bionerd23 2 years ago
I believe some European law was changed and new detectors have must not be ionizing...
Interestingly I was reading earlier that the legal exemption (in the UK) for Am-241 only permits the amount while it's INSIDE a smoke detector 'module'.
kneecaps2000 2 years ago
Could you pop off one of the ends of a small linear fluorescent bulb and place the 241Am inside the bulb to see if it fluoresces from the ionizing radiation bombarding the white phosphorus in the bulb?
onthecuttingedge2005 2 years ago
that was actually the first thing i tried to cause fluorescence in, way before i had the scintillation screen... and nope, that doesnt work, either. good idea, though!
ps: to everybody wanting to try this, be sure to break the bulb OUTSIDE, not in your house... these bulbs contain rather large amounts of mercury vapor, which is poisonous when inhaled.
bionerd23 2 years ago
could you take a piece of glow in the dark material and place it over the 241Americium to see if it excites the Phosphor and causes it to self illuminate
onthecuttingedge2005 2 years ago
already tried that with a scintillation screen, didnt work. :-(
bionerd23 2 years ago
can you place an ohm meter on the surface of the 241Am, I wanted to see after the 241Am emits an Alpha if the 2 additional electrons leave a charge on the surface of the 241Am, if it loses 2 protons then it has to lose 2 electrons, I wanted to know where these two electrons go, if they register on an ohm meter then maybe we can make Atomic Batteries out of it.
onthecuttingedge2005 2 years ago
interesting idea, i dont think anything will be measurable, but then again, i dont know - i will try it out as soon as possible, i'm just quite busy these days, but will do!
bionerd23 2 years ago
just tried it; my device is sadly too inaccurate to measure the real resistance, as it's very low... so i cannot measure any fluctuations. i also tried thorium welding electrodes - which have a measurable resistance - but i dont see fluctuations in the measurement there, either (then again, they only contain 2% Th). sorry about that, but i really cannot tell you more, as i lack equipment that is sensitive enough for this.
bionerd23 2 years ago
All smoke detectors have Am-241??
vitorix24 2 years ago
nope, only ionizing smoke detectors use e.g. Am-241. some older ones use Ra-226, too... and the other ones - optical smoke detectors - just use visible light.
bionerd23 2 years ago
it's dangerous this little bit of Am-241 ?
If i have this in a recepient of plastic on my
school backpack it's bad?
vitorix24 2 years ago
it's not really dangerous; most of the radiation emitted by it is alpha radiation, anyway. i wouldnt carry radioactive stuff around on / near my body if its not necessary, though.
bionerd23 2 years ago
ok thanks =)
vitorix24 2 years ago
Alpha radiation travels only few inches in air. Not very dangerous. Probably NO radiation would reach you if you put that source into backpack in plastic recepient.
My advice: get some antistatic foil bags designed for handling electrostatic discharge sensitive devices - they block about all radiation from sources like Americium from smoke detector.
formatdyskuc 2 years ago
Damn how many people have done this lol..i made a necklace out of my Am 241 :) hard to get out of plastic thing though
JAKEOXIDE 2 years ago
a necklace? interesting... how? did you engrave it in e.g. silver, like a diamond?
bionerd23 2 years ago
explaining is difficult
JAKEOXIDE 2 years ago
... And russian folk melody))))))
Appsus 2 years ago
Ill let you know. I am about to blast MegaWatts of microwaves at alpha particles with the same energy spectrum.
Flixan 2 years ago
Do you know what will happen if I put amercium from a smoke detector into a microwave? do the radiation of the americium will make someting special in presence of the microwave?
pouletpanez 2 years ago
well, it'll probably make something special by frying your microwave, yeah... :P
bionerd23 2 years ago
Ill let you know, I am about to blast 3 MW of HPM at alpha particles with the same energy spectrum as Am241.
Flixan 2 years ago
be sure to put some water or a potato with it into the microwave, or it'll take damage due to a lack of content / reflected waves. the metal will cause sparks and reflections, too, but not sure if that surface is sufficient to damage the microwave.
bionerd23 2 years ago
That name is the music of your video?
Bonsay3 2 years ago
damn, i forgot... been ages since i heard that. i think it was called "tetris russian theme" or something...
bionerd23 2 years ago
brilliant series of videos... just a quickie; what is the geiger-muller measuring on the screen... what is the unit of measurement ?
Darcshadow5 2 years ago
thank you. :-)
it's a GAMMA SCOUT, and the unit of measurement is the equivalent dose in uSv/h (microsieverts per hour).
bionerd23 2 years ago
Not sure if my last post posted??? Very nice video :)
Please may I ask the best place to learn about radiation, to truly grasp it as you have?
Also, I assume I am safe to open my smoke detector?
Finally, please I hope you won't judge British people by the stupid comments of some. Most of us are not as dumb fucking crazy and idiotic, it's a shame you met the minority who are. The stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me. C'est la vie.
Du hast mien hunt gegessen!
pldilley 2 years ago
hm, that question isn't easy to answer. wikipedia is a good start, then try other websites, books... and most important of all, use your brain while reading all that, as some stuff may seem contrary.
well, it's in theory safe to open your smoke detector, yes, but it may be illegal, not sure about the laws in the UK.
i dont judge anybody by their nationality, dont worry. there are many idiots in every country, and there are a few awesome people in every country, too. and prejudice = stupidity.
bionerd23 2 years ago
You have a lot of background radiation :)
In my room it's barely 0.1 uS/h
nepssis 2 years ago
lol! yea becasue ionizing radiation is so hard to understand !!!!!
if you didnt realise im being soooo utterly sarcastic
your'e a total ree
youknowhow123 2 years ago
lets play some tetris motherfucker L O L
greatwhitenorth112 2 years ago
Omg never mind american/german WTF IT'S A SHE!!!???????? what a revalation!!!!!
youknowhow123 2 years ago
learn some respect kid. YES bionerd23 is a she, get over it. You need to grow up and get a life, shes ovbiusly smarter than you
TribalWarsTube 2 years ago 6
Good vids, keep them comming.
-Cheers
hellomycognomen 2 years ago