I am very glad I had the opportunity to see this demonstration by Mr. Vales. I learned a lot about radioactive elements and the elements that they give off. I was very surprised to hear how dangerous radioactive elements are and that people used to consume them in the past thinking it would cure them in some way!

First, I learned that Radioactive elements are constantly decaying and are unstable. Radioactive elements give off Alpha particles (2 protons, 2 nuetrons; positive charge), Beta particles (negatively charged), or Gamma Rays (have no mass or charge -are a form of electromagnetic radiation). Mr. Vales emphasized how dangerous these elements can be and I found it shocking that enough exposure to these radioactive elements could lead to death, and has killed many people in the past.

The objects that he presented to us were very interesting because I never knew that some objects were radioactive. He showed us Uranium glass, Fiestawear, a flower vase, a pocket watch, and many more objects. These items stood out to me because of how radioactive they were.

The uranium glass was a neon greenish/yellow candle holder. He explained to us that the uranium in the holder was what made the color. When he shined a UV light on the holder it made the color florecent. The Fiestawear and flower vase were similar to the candle holder. It was an orange plate that had uranium salt in the glaze to give it the orange color. It was scary to think that people would eat off of a plate such as the fiestawear orange one that was radioactive. Mr. Vales explained that if the plate chipped and you accidentally swallowed the chipped piece, it would stay with you forever and if you had enough radioactive exposure, you could die.

The last item that stood out to me was the pocket watch. He explained that it was from the 1940’s and the numbers on the dial were painted with radium; which makes the numbers glow. It was also shocking to me when he told us the story about how these pocket watches were made. He explained that young girls would be paid a significant amount of money to paint the numbers on the watches. They would dip the brush into the paint and then put it inbetween their lips to make the point finer. The girls got enough exposure to this radioactive paint and they all died – scary!

Over all,  I enjoyed the demonstration more than I thought I would. It was interesting to see all of the items that people used to have in their home and use daily that were radioactive! The fact that people would take pills that had radioactive elements in them is just shocking. It opened my eyes to how dangerous radioactivity is, and I’m very glad I got to hear this demonstration.

Now when I think of radioactive I won’t just think of the song.