August 4, 2009

it’s all full of radiation

We have contaminated the atmosphere with trace amounts of radioactivity with detonations of atom bombs starting in 1945 and that contamination risks our ability to build sensors to detect this same, small amount of radiation.

All steel made since the detonation of the first atom bomb in 1945 has contained tiny amounts of radioactivity. This is because the atmosphere now contains trace amounts of radioactivity. The steelmaking process involves the use of large amounts of air, which transfers the radioactivity to the steel. Instruments and equipment used for measuring radioactivity must be free from extra background radiation, so post-1945 “new” steel cannot be used for these purposes. Instead, pre-1945 “clean” steel is used.

Salvaging WWII German U-Boats that were scuttled at Scapa Flow

posted by in nature, technology, war | * | 4 comments 

comments

  1. Deron Bauman on August 4th, 2009 at 3:18 pm

    Hey, Sean. Great to see you.

  2. Sean Salmon on August 4th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    I have been hiding under my tin foil, radiation protective hat ;)

  3. Lucy on August 4th, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    You’re such a great host, Deron. Seriously. When I imagine you, I think of the guy who greets everyone at the party equally, topping up their drinks and making sure they feel at ease.

  4. Deron Bauman on August 5th, 2009 at 10:01 am

    thank you, Lucy.

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