Monthly Supplement | Before, there was no discussion about the safety of toys, and a child could receive an atomic energy briefcase as a Christmas present

At Christmas 1950 in some American families, a real surprise was revealed in the children’s gift package: an atomic energy laboratory.

In a nice red briefcase, there was a fog chamber, electroscope, spintarinoscope and geiger meter neatly arranged. Beside them were four small glass jars containing minerals containing radioactive uranium.

Radioactive uranium is used in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons.

Toy manufacturer Gilbert’s “atomic energy laboratory” is often mentioned when compiling lists of the world’s most dangerous toys.

Was it dangerous?

Research Professor Jaakko Leppänen VTT says that it is not yet possible to build “anything directly dangerous” from those parts, such as a mini-sized nuclear reactor.

“But of course it sounds crazy that such toys have been marketed to children.”

The timing was also special. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been destroyed by US nuclear weapons only six years earlier.

Leppänen considers the radioactive polonium used as the source of the fog chamber to be the most suspicious. “It is a truly radiotoxic substance in higher concentrations.”

See also  Mushrooming | "It doesn't taste good to either of us" - The couple found an amazing mushroom workshop and are now sharing their catch

But first someone in the family would have to swallow the polonium sample. In a family with children, that’s not an impossible idea either.

On the alder had science kits as a child in the 1980s with a small lead plate for electrochemical experiments. They also included various chemicals. The jars had warning symbols about toxicity, skulls and more.

In addition, there was a piece of magnesium wire. It gets very hot when it burns.

Such little chemist’s laboratory tools have probably been more dangerous for children than a very small amount of radioactive polonium or uranium, says Leppänen.

Even more unpredictable are everyday toys and their small parts. US authorities report during 2020, almost 200,000 toy-related hospital visits. There were only nine deaths. The most common was suffocation.

In Finland, there are no statistics on accidents caused by toys. I supported the inspector general Anja Merenkivi says that he hears about dangerous situations from the media and through his acquaintances.

See also  A bet by Rio de Janeiro takes Mega-Sena of R$ 4.45 million - ISTOÉ DINHEIRO

He also mentions chemistry sets: they should have instructions for use in Finnish, and an adult must supervise that the instructions are followed. Tukes campaigns often talk about age limits: toys for older children, such as construction sets, can be dangerous for younger children.

American a toy manufacturer A.C. Gilbert considered the “atomic energy laboratory” the most impressive product of his company.

“Only boys with a lot of education could understand how it worked,” Gilbert noted in his memoirs.

The briefcases were about 40 x 60 centimeters in size. Only a few thousand of them were sold in a couple of years. The price of around $50 was perhaps too steep. In today’s money, the amount corresponds to more than five hundred euros.

It is known that not many copies of Gilbert’s atomic portfolios have survived intact. In recent years, several thousand dollars have been asked for them at auctions.

#Monthly #Supplement #discussion #safety #toys #child #receive #atomic #energy #briefcase #Christmas #present

Related Posts

Next Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended