• pulsewidth@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    Reminds me of the ‘radioactive eagle scout’, because while he was attempting to build his breeder reactor from old radioactive material - including clock paint from antique clocks - his ‘big score’ was that he found an almost full bottle of radium paint in the back of a clock.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

    Nb: I believe that story is from Ken Silverstein’s book about him, its not in the Wiki article.

    • Septian@lemmy.zip
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      11 days ago

      Jesus that wiki article got real sad, real quick. From a promising potential career and boundless curiosity to dead at 39 from drug abuse with paranoid schizophrenia. Don’t tinker with radioactive elements without a proper understanding of required safety procedures and maximum exposure levels, folks.

      • lennivelkant@discuss.tchncs.de
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        11 days ago

        Also, proper understanding of the safety procedures won’t protect you. You have to actually apply them. Don’t ask me how I found it.