Geiger Counter Myths

Many myths are propogated on the internet concerning Geiger counters. This video seeks to disprove some of the more common myths.
I may have missed some, so if you think of any, please let me know.

[@Anti-proton]

I keep seeing people post iodine pill ads... remember folks, iodine pills only save you in a radio-iodine environment. If a truck with radioactive Co60, for example, crashes... the pills won't help.

[@mauer594]

+antiprotons where do you get these samples?

[@Chuzzlepuff]

+antiprotons provided you had a decent geiger counter and a long duration to test a food source...say 2 days of calculated cpm, would their be any ability to see a difference in two food sources from slow decaying isotopes? or is the level of background radiation from other fast decaying stuff just too high to tell?

[@Anti-proton]

Chuzzlepuff Puffchuzzle If you had food exposed to a rapidly decaying radio nuclide, like I131, then you could calculate the change in reading vs. days and interpolate that into a graph. From that, you could calculate the decay constant and make a guess at the offending radio nuclide. If memory serves, you could do something like this: Take 2 readings, A,B at times T,Q -1* ln(2) /[ ln(A)-ln(B)/T-Q ] Should kick out the ~halflife. But, this method is MEGA fraught with assumption and lots of possible error. Only works on a simple A to B decay, not more complex A to B to C... to Z stuff. You would solve a more complex bateman for that.

[@Emeengor]

maybe it would have made any sense if you used that damn board you have behind you and draw some graphs and calculations ...

[@AndrewAttard78]

antiprotons Hey, in layman's terms... If nukes start falling from the sky and I'm in a bunker, should I take iodine tablets?

[@shibe_nation982]

I was like: "Oh cool this guy has a bunch of geiger counters, he has a smooth voice, he's nice! Everything seems so calm!" *holy shit it starts ticking*

[@Tocsin-Bang]

Thank you for one of the best demos on YT. There is an awful lot of rubbish online. I did my first radiation training over 50 years ago, and I have 7 geiger counters plus 7 ionisation based devices. I have built several of these and am working on a couple more. Sadly its impossible to get proper sources here in Europe. I have to make do with things like radium dials, americium from smoke detectors and natural ores.

[@sixthgear5874]

Not too different in the states, at least it’s possible to buy depleted uranium, but it’s fairly cost and supply prohibitive

[@Anti-proton]

The gloves do little for beta or photon radiation, but they most certainly prevent dust from getting into my hands. This reduces/prevents trans-dermal uptake and makes it easier to clean myself after touching such samples. Internal exposure is the real killer.

[@Anti-proton]

No need for gloves with that specific piece of uranium. Note that in other videos I hold much more active pieces and do wear gloves, even though they are still probably not needed. In cases where they really are, I would wear latex, than my thick rubber gloves (long) and tape them... then another latex over top.

[@Anti-proton]

@arclight2011 Thanks! My point is to dispel some of the basic myths. I won't be arguing over the exact fallout from Fukushima, or other things which are being debated... just that a Geiger counter can or can't do some things. Personally, I normally just use my gamma spectrometer anyway lol

[@tombproduct]

I really enjoyed this video. Your voice is calming and the information is presented in an easy to understand way, thanks for the information!

[@Anti-proton]

NOTE: I can go into any of this in more detail if needed. Also, rain water is covered at 11:20 :)

[@Anti-proton]

Yes. A Geiger counter is an electrical circuit. A current is applied to the tube, but this current cannot flow unless the tube is hit by a radioactive particle. The pulse of power this causes drains the battery a tiny bit and makes the click we hear. More click sounds, more power used.

[@dennisc.4828]

What an outstandingly well-informed video regarding nuclear radiation monitoring of the environment, post-Fukushima. I applaud your valuable information for the general public interested in these vital issues. Thank you so much!

[@isseyIT]

antiprotons: "what about plutonium" * *extract a plutonium bar from under the table* *

[@StormsparkPegasus]

Reading the last one, my thought was "if you contaminate it with radioactive material, then it will be...otherwise, why would it be?"

[@Sheila6325]

Thank you so very much for this video. I may not be fully relieved, but I do understand, a lot better than I did before watching it. Bless, Sheila

[@kb3khs]

I'm years late to this party, but I had a hearty laugh at the last few frames of the vid. I am a computer scientist myself and I always find myself working in fields that have absolutely nothing to do with computer science proper. Thing about computer science is... it can be applied to nearly anything. Real hearty chuckle ... "another one just like me, well out of his element". Keep on being awesome man. Good attention to detail.

[@HighrockTendales]

I don't really know why or how I got here but I really enjoyed your video. Interesting and you have a cool delivery. I want to buy a Geiger counter now.

[@wisteela]

Very good video. Very informative. I like how you've added the speakers to the old counter too. Subscribed. Oh yes, I have a PDRM-82, and that has a radiation source inside for the self check calibration.

[@Anti-proton]

Yes it is! I just started a project where I am cataloging soil radioactivity from around the United States, and I have found that thorium and uranium are present in nearly all samples. Very tiny amounts too. Soil is a tiny bit radioactive, but perfectly safe in most cases.

[@Anti-proton]

The black unit is an SE International Inspector EXP+. GeigerCounters com has them for $750. That's a really nice unit too. The samples come from SpectrumTechniques com They cost about $50 a piece (unless you want them assayed to 95% accuracy, which I do with all of mine, for an additional $100 each).

[@Anti-proton]

Yes! Actually, firefighters have an issue to deal with due to smoke detectors. Some detectors use light or laser to detect smoke, but many use Americium 241 (made from decay from plutonium) to detect smoke. Look on the back of a smoke detector and it will tell you it contains this. Each smoke detector has as much radioactive materiel as the nuclear check sources I use in my experiments. When they burn, it burns. Avoid that smoke.

[@deepwaters2334]

Amazing breakdown of radiation detection technology. Thanks for making it clear.

[@Steel-Beast]

You can legally buy some trinitite that contains small amounts of plutonium. I have a few and I just recently bought a CD V-700 geiger counter because I wondered how much radiation does my trinitite have, I will see that on Wednesday

[@Anti-proton]

When you say, "Mr. Inspector", are you referring to a normal SE International Inspector? Both Inspector models use the exact same probe, the LND Inc. 7317. As for the second part, these samples I am showing in this video are mostly sealed. The disk samples are swipe tested, by me, every few uses, and the uranium sample is about a low as you can get in activity. I wash my hands and clean my equipment too. I test my equipment with an NaI(Tl) 1.5" detector now and then, just to be sure. :)

[@Anti-proton]

If the dust was contaminated, the unit could be too. Clean it carefully and you can decontaminate it. Think of it like a chemical contamination... but with a radioactive chemical.

[@Anti-proton]

Cont... Now, if you knew that an element emitted an alpha particle which carried 0.1 joules per decay, you could convert them: Sv / second = CPM * 0.1 joules/kg / 60 seconds * 20 But, if a gamma ray carrying 1 joule hit you during this time, it would change the outcome quite a lot! Of course, most beta's and gamma's are in the 1.6 x 10^-22 joules, but who's counting. see what I mean? (for gamma): 1 RAD = 1 REM 1 Sv = 1 Gy 1 CPM = 1/60 CPS Some can be converted :( It's complicated.

[@SurvivingTheApocalypse]

Cant believe I found a video on Geiger Counters on KZbin that hasn’t been infected by comments referring to a certain show on HBO.

[@SurvivingTheApocalypse]

Australian Eugenics Expert still seeing only one.

[@somecodurr]

@@SurvivingTheApocalypse No GOT comments so far.

[@rdoetjes]

I have seen these geiger counters that can actually measure the energy and in doing so tell you which isotopes you are dealing with. Any idea how these devices are called and how accurate they are in detecting the right isotope. It seems that it's a pretty stretch for a hand-held device to be so precise, but I am not an expert. So interested in your knowledge on this.

[@dennisc.4828]

No, not from a geiger counter; from gamma ray spectroscopy. Rather more expensive.

[@jcolbyt82]

Great video! I’m not sure if this is true or not but I have read something interesting that pertains to your final myth about Geiger counters being radioactive. One problem that they had with the old Geiger counters was the fact that steel that went into making them (other metals as well) contained fission products from atmospheric nuclear testing. Apparently, in order to make Geiger counters that were free of radiation other than background, any steel used had to be scrap from before the Manhattan project 1944. According to this article, one of the biggest and most accessible supplies of pre 1944 steel is from Scapa Flow in Great Britain. The source is the German Imperial High Seas Fleet that was being held as per the armistice agreement at the end of ww 1. The German sailors on board, not wanting the British to take over their ships, scuttled the whole fleet at Scapa Flow. Some were refloated, but many were left on the bottom. Over the years, some of the ships have had steel cut from them and used in the manufacture of Geiger counters since it would not have fission product contamination and thus wouldn’t bias the counter. Here is a interesting article that talks about this and other metals harvested for the same reason. www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2020/12/the-bizarre-market-for-old-battleship-steel/

[@Anti-proton]

I know many people who have no degree in physics who use Geiger counters all of the time (My degree isn't in physics either). You can buy a reasonibly priced Geiger counter and have lots of fun with it. Determining danger is tricky, but some study and a good book should do it. Most of this stuff really ins't too difficult. Before spending money on anything, ensure that you really find it interesting enough to get into. Also, Geiger counters are not very good for low level food contamination.

[@Anti-proton]

Cesium 137 is not a fuel, but rather a byproduct. When uranium 235 captures a neutron and breaks apart to produce heat (which powers turbines and generates electricity) those broken fragments become new atoms. Cesium 137 is produced in this way. Cs137 only builds up after the uraium fuel has been run for a while. Lots of other isotopes are made too: Sr90, I131, Cs134, Sr89, etc... Cs137 is legal to own in small sealed sources (per the NRC). I own a tiny legal sample.

[@Anti-proton]

@iamgoddard Yes, for sure! The ability to determine isotope from a fully known source with a Geiger counter does not exist. When I test a smoke alarm, I already know what I am looking for and the GM just confirms it. From scratch, how could you possibly know? Decay schemes and decay rates are not accurate either since they nest off of each other. You can, for example, confirm a radon washout sample if it decays in a few hours from rain water, but again... you already had an idea.

[@Anti-proton]

Good question. Radiation can cause cancer, but at these low levels (under 37 kBq for most samples), the risk is very little. Consider holding one to be like drinking a beer. A single beer *could* give you liver cancer... but probably not. If it helps, your smoke alarm typically has a 33 kBq Am241 source in it and 1 bag o KCl water softner is equal to perhaps a dozen of these sources :) So... basically, don't sleep with them, eat them, etc.

[@Anti-proton]

Radiation is sort of light light. A light bulb emits light in all directions. Radioactive objects emit radiation in all directions, and things like silver do not attract them. It is possible to attract some radioactive emissions (beta or alpha) towards a very high power magnet, but they do not make the magnet radioactive. The issue isn't the radiation, but the source of the radiation. The short answer is, no. Wear silver all you like. Silver has no effect on radiation. :)

[@Anti-proton]

The dose rate is not enough to cause ARS. At least 0.5 joules per kilogram per second is required to cause ARS. The background dose we normally receive is less than 1/1,000,000 joule per kilogram per second is what we are exposed to.500,000 times less. A sample which is thousands of times background radiation is still mess less than needed. Does that make more sense (the actual numbers?). The photons are numerous, but the dose rate is very low.

[@FPSchazly]

i've taken three classes on nuclear engineering and radiation still confuses me lol it's not trivial stuff.

[@Anti-proton]

The ion chamber was made for very high radiation fields in the aftermath of a bomb. Basically, you used the ion chamber to go outside and take general measurements of how bad you were zapped. You would return to your shelter and someone would use the CDV700 to test you with the shield open. For lower levels of radiation (under 50 mR/hr) you were supposed to use the CDV700 with the shield closed.

[@Anti-proton]

The CDV700 probe is energy compensated (makes units like mR/hr more accurate for low energy photons). The pancake is not... but the pancake can detect alpha particles, which the CDV700 probe cannot. Also, the pancake is MEGA sensitive. In my lab, my pancake gets 38 CPM vs. my CDV's 15-20 CPM. Also, I wouldn't use energy units, like Roentgens, Seiverts, etc, from a Geiger counter anyway. CPM and C/S are the only valid units.

[@Anti-proton]

My thumb (just the tip) got chopped off (slowly) by a chum grinder whilst fishing. The screw bit into the bone and slowly bit through it. It was the most painful moment of my life.

[@Anti-proton]

Sadyl, a single cubic meter of soil from Saga City Japan most likely contains much more Cs137 than my samples. If they became unsealed and somehow dispersed, my risk might be similar to someone performing soil-invasive yard work in Saga City. Of course, such a comment requires loads of qualification, but based on reports I have read, this is correct. BTW: That is not to downplay the sample, but to point out how nasty some if Saga's soil is.

[@Anti-proton]

You can convert these units, sometimes, but not all of them are easily converted. For example, 1 uSv/hr (microseivert) = 0.1 mrem (milirem), but CPM never equals any of these units unless you specify an energy. Here is why: CPM = Number of detection's per 60 seconds, regardless of energy. Seivert = 1 joule / kg * weighting_factor

[@Anti-proton]

I bought much of my uranium from United Nuclear, but I also find it in nature. Uranium exists all over the world in much of the soil and can be found, if you have the right equipment to look for it. Tomorrow, I will be at a uranium-rich area looking for some.

[@Anti-proton]

Cell phone and microwaves (about the same thing) are a totally different form of radiation. Geiger counters, like the inspector, detect "ionizing" radiation. You would need a different meter for that.

[@FlyingPiper13]

Dude, you make the coolest videos! I love your channel.

[@Subsonik762]

these instruments are used in industry for separate tasks... one is used for detecting the reactivity from a source, the other measures the radiation emitted from the source.

[@Anti-proton]

Both of the detectors used are survey meters. The CDV700 is really outdated and should not be used in a professional environment (a Ludlum upgrade kit might do the trick, however). The Inspector has a contamination survey capability (the pancake tube). I've seen first responders using the Inspector and CDV700. Neither is really any good for measuring nuclide emissions for anything other than the nuclide they were calibrated for. Anything else would be inaccurate (of course lol). If it were me doing the first response, I'd want an Inspector USB, a Ludlum 12-4 neutron detector, and a 14C with 44-9 + 44-2. If I had a spare pocket, I would carry a Polimaster 1401k :P

[@Maedelrosen]

the first myth = annihilation of the concept of a geiger counter entirely. cx.

[@Anti-proton]

I would not worry about most of the material burning. Brick, tile, glass (with uranium, potassium, and thorium in them) is not going to get out too much. It should aerosol a little, but not too much. Really, it's those detectors. But... they might raise your cancer risk by 1 in a few hundred thousand (or million) if you inhale a little... but think of the lives they save each year? It's like being a firefighter... your life is always in danger... but you save many more lives doing so! :)

[@Anti-proton]

As everyone knows, crazy hair aids in science! What madd scientist do you know who doesn't look like their finger was recently in a light socket?!?!

[@SloveintzWend]

I never heard of someone irradiating himself with uranium to the point of developing cancer. Well, unless it's some nasty isotope. But the chemical itself sure is unsafe.

[@Anti-proton]

Uranium is not safe as a heavy metal and if the LNT hypothesis is correct, it should be possible to get cancer from it... though the risk should be very tiny.

[@Anti-proton]

The issue I am addressing are statements that Pu *cannot* be detected by Geiger counters. This is false. You're are really answering something more like, "Pu cannot discernibly be detected by a Geiger counter in any likely encounter", to which you would be correct. I am not confusing decay and detection. For equal amounts of purified U238 and Pu239, the Pu239 is both more active and likely more detectable. And yes, I would use an alpha scintillator and my Ludlum 12. Cont...

[@Anti-proton]

But... If you get a CDV700, you could buy a 2" pancake tube (same as the inspector) for under $300. have you considered buying a Ludlum model 3 + 44-9 pancake tube? Same basic idea as the CDV700 but with modern parts.

[@setag54321]

Tom...thanks for the quick response...I'll start doing some research, if I end up building one, I'll send you some photos and I'm sure a few questions. Keep posting, your time is appreciated.

[@Anti-proton]

Nope. You already are radioactive (avg. human = about 4kBq K40).

[@Stray03]

The lack of knowledge around radioactivity is obvious in your viewer comments.

[@Anti-proton]

Radioactivity is a complex topic not well addressed in schools (in my opinion). Science should be more prominent in education.

[@Stray03]

antiprotons All you ever heard was how nuclear power is dangerous and not good for the environment, Typical stance of most of the teachers who don't know anything about it and feel they are saving the world by misinforming others. Very complex, and even the safety standards/levels were guesses as when they came out with them they really didn't understand that much about radiation.

[@Anti-proton]

Both plutonium and uranium, even if chemically purified, with slowly move towards isotopic equilibrium. Both are cluster decay (mostly alpha) with a long chain including potent beta emitters: Pb214 and Bi214 for U238 and Pb211 for U235. The specific activities of Pu239 and U238 are 2.2949985 GBq/g and 12.436289 kBq/g, respectively. I probably should have used a more pure DU sample instead of a natural uranium sample, given the Pb and Bi activities being high.

[@Anti-proton]

Geiger counters cannot reliably detect the extremely low levels of radiation found in some foods in countries outside of the USA. You would need to be in Japan or very close to Japan to have a chance of detecting radioactive contamination. It's not that it isn't there, it's that the levels are far below what a Geiger counter can reliably detect (in a way you can verify). Also, what do you mean by MgCl? MgCl shouldn't be from Fukushima.

[@deltaxcd]

talking about Geiger counter radioactivity, I think the question is if it would produce some counts if placed in absolutely radiation free area. not if it can cause you cancer when you do measurements.

[@Anti-proton]

Hummm... your comment didn't show up in my inbox 8-| KeV = kiloelectron voles = 1,000 electron volts. Since Energy = Mass * Speed_of_light^2, we know that we can write mass as energy or energy as mass. Often, scientists express particles as energy rather than mass. An electron has a mass of about 511 keV/C^2 which is the same as 9.109402×10^-31 kilograms When a 100 keV beta particle hits my detector, it has a rest mass of 1.782662×10^-31 kilograms :)

[@stefaan10111992]

so if I understood correctly, units as µSv, Röntgens, rem or rads cannot just be converted? I've read a book (Alert, the story of Chernobyl by Piers Paul Read), claiming that 1 rad of gamma is equal to 1 rem, and a manual of a military counter claimed that the meter could be read as röntgens as well as rads.

[@CasualSpankin]

I went from Blue Stahli to this. I'm scared about the shift that may come next...

[@armkenz]

wait... Cs137 thats the same fuel used in most NPP and also in Chernobyl. How did you get your hands onto it O.O btw nice video :D

[@math_and_science_enthusias8758]

Is it safe to work about 3000 feet away from cold water creek? That creek is known to have radioactive contaminmation. Is it also safe to drive by west lake landfill every day on the way to work? That site has uranium deposits. or are there any forumns or websites you recommend going to that discuss these concerns? I recently found out there is radioactive waste not far where I work and live and I am wondering how much risk is real and how much is just fear mongering.

[@conradmillermd]

There is a great lecture on this very subject, with pictures, from Kevin Kamps that was given March 12, 2013 and IS available right now at cinema forum fukushima (put those letters together and it is an org) on the web. I also will be doing a summation of that video within the next month condensing the info into a shorter video, along with others I have done, trying to get all the lectures summarized for quicker viewing & digestion. Can also see my channel. Kevin Kamps is terrific, esp on this

[@genericHandle31]

Yeah i realized all of your stuff is pretty good graded, name-brand equipment, I was just joking because you can (or at least you could, i don't know anymore) buy stuff like thorium nitrate on Ebay. Oh and great video too, you clarified a bunch things that beginners like myself have trouble figuring out on our own, so thanks.

[@FranciscoMarquesToFran]

Thanks! Great video learned a lot! Do you have a cat?

[@KAFKUBA]

Lol...the scratches

[@Staringale]

You know working with these materials without hazmat suits is really dangerous...

[@Anti-proton]

A hazmat suit would not protect me from these sources. They and weak and exempt quantities. To put it in perspective, one of those disk sources emits about twice as many gamma rays as a smoke detector. You don't need a hazmat suit to hold a few smoke detectors in your hand, right?

[@Staringale]

well i guess so just be careful i for instance wouldn't to that inside atleast

[@Anti-proton]

Careful is fine and always a great idea! I only work with sealed tiny sources in my house. I have liquid solutions and the like, but I work with them in controlled areas and wear protection (gloves, mask, etc). Safety first

[@Staringale]

Yup

[@ioijiopjkiopjkp]

lmao hazmat suits

[@dougtnitchie]

Thanks! This vid helped me understand the big picture re Fukusheima so much more.

[@KarbineKyle]

Plutonium, if it is isotopically pure, and in relatively small activities would be mostly blind to something like a CD V-700 Geiger counter or other beta/gamma only tubes. You would need a pancake detector for most pure Pu isotopes. Those can detect it. Most Pu emits mostly pure alpha. It can take days for a spectrum to show up on even a HPGe detector, because its low-energy gammas are less than ~ 0.01% intensity for Pu-239 alone when it decays. Am-241 is also an alpha emitter. However, it emits a low-energy gamma at 59.9 keV, but with ~ 35% intensity when it decays. Pu-241 buildup in Pu samples will decay to Am-241, so finding that 59.9 keV gamma could indicate impure Pu. Most Pu isotopes, when pure can be hard to detect. The gamma intensity and energies for Pu is very low. Pu-241 and Pu-244 would be easier to detect, because they decay to more gamma intense decay products (Pu-241 -> Am-241 + beta minus) or (Pu-244 -> U-240 + alpha -> Np-240 + beta minus).

[@Anti-proton]

...cont Sr90 can be detected on a Geiger counter but you wouldn't know because you cannot isotope ID from a Geiger counter. When testing rain with your Geiger counter: Radon washout disapates in a few days. Sr90 only reduces by half every 30 year, so it remains "hot". A thin sheet of aluminum (2mm?) should block it totally. Cs137 only reduces by half every 30 year, so it remains "hot". A thin sheet of aluminum (2mm?) should reduce it but NOT block it. ...cont2

[@terryh.9238]

you're an engaging teacher. keep making videos!

[@Anti-proton]

I'm really not sure how any significant creation of MgCl would occur, even given neutron bombardment (in a core). I've made 26-Mg in my lab before via alpha bombardment, and it's a pain! I cannot imagine that anything more than an trace amount could be created in such a way. Additionally, it would be one of dozens of other such radio-compounds. Where did you read about this?

[@Anti-proton]

Thanks! You are the second person to think my voice is pleasant. I find it annoying in person, but that's me lol

[@caesar5555]

Any cheaper but good unit you can recommend that measures all 3 and X-ray? Thanks

[@Anti-proton]

The Inspector USB is still my favorite pancake unit. You can go cheaper, but you sacrifice sensitivity, and quickly.

[@Anti-proton]

I once heard the ionization detectors described as, "it ticks, you're dead". lol Of couse that is not true, but the range is given in R/hr (1,000 mR/hr). So, this is useful if you are specifically targeted, but other wise not so much. Of couse, the CDV715 doesn't jam. The old CDV700 could jam or even get tube glow. New detectors have anti-jamming. My inspector EXP+ goes to 300,000 CPM and holds at max scale above that (my Polimaster is 1 μR/h - 1000 R/h) lol

[@Anti-proton]

You would need an energy sensitive unit (gamma spectrometer) to do this. Geiger counters are only good for detecting large scale contamination (e.g. after a nuclear explosion). Polimaster sells a unit for folks: pm1406. The site claims it can detect down to 25 Bq/kg in food. I am not sure if this is true or not. I would (personally) not own a food tester unless I lived in Japan.

[@ednadeau7384]

Thanks antiprotons, best info I have found yet .Want to check the tuna, sardines , I love to eat . Been eating by the ton for the last 5 years. Just became aware of continued situation with Fukishima. Ohhhhh Wish I could monitor food but it is , pretty complex ! Antiprotons what are those badges worn by the people who work around radiation /x- ray techs called ? Thanks again.

[@isaiahindigenousaboriginal5261]

Did you already do a video on the myths and or theory of radiation half live so one can put in laymen terms what’s dangerous radiation and whats not really radioactive ??

[@yogalD]

This slightly unrelated but what is that "ding" sound at 10:20? I occasionally hear that noise randomly in everyday life but I never know what it is...

[@Anti-proton]

What is me getting an email. I normally silence my phone, but sometimes I forget.

[@juaxox]

Do you think the Wifi enabled router would cause cancer in a long term situation, where it is basically 2 feet away from you, or the non ionizing radiation it emits is not strong and damaging enough to our bodies to have any effects.

[@Anti-proton]

lol I could have told myself off lol But regardless, my comment still requires lots of care since not all of Saga is contaminated. Many places contain much greater than 37 kBq/kg :( No worries. William is a really cool person. He invested a lot of time in his work and worked to do his part for making the world a better place by exposing what was actually going on in Japan.

[@drdrwoland1975]

You are wrong in comparing the detection of Plutonium with the detection of Uranium which you show with your sample. What the Geiger counter is seeing with the ore sample is not alpha but beta radiation from the equilibrium daughters Th234 and Pa234m. Pu239 alpha decays to U235 which has an immense half life.

[@yurialtunin9121]

Link between radiation and cancer is not proven scientifically.

[@greenpogo]

13:00 My favorite part was when you quickly multiplied by 100 :P

[@stevemacbr]

Very informative, concise + to the point. The reading times/delays for the texts screens could be longer. Thanks for the info.

[@Anti-proton]

Not a bad price, if they work. Also, I am glad you pointed out that the CDV700 was the real Geiger counter. Too many people get those ion chamber units, like the CDV715, confused for Geiger counter. =) I hope it all works for you!

[@stevebreedlove9760]

Doesnt an ion chamber of the 715 measure gamma like a GM? I thought the fundamental difference is the ranges of detection? This is all so esoteric and any assistance is appreciated.

[@KAFKUBA]

I was going to buy a geiger counter now I realize I'll probably just scare myself for nothing because I don't know enough to interpret the results

[@Anti-proton]

I have never gotten a price out of them before. Ouch. Those are actually more reasonible prices. This stuff used to be in the 20,000+ range lol The Gamma Spectacular is about $1000 and very nice, but you don't get the auto detection and you need a little more skill. You could probably DIY a gamma spectrometer with all new parts for under $500.

[@F0xit]

Just a question. Is it safe to use these source of radiations without any protection as you are doing in the video? I know that alpha and beta are not that dangerous if not eaten, but gamma?

[@AttemptsAreGood]

The samples he uses are not harmful. They are low-emitting samples which are freely available on the internet, legally, and even through Amazon. So no...Jake is wrong. This guy is not crazy. It amazes me how people can, after watching a KZbin video, then ask "Where the heck did you get that stuff?" Anyone who asks this obviously did not do a simple internet search which begs the question from me: If they can't find something that is extremely easy to find with a basic search.....how did they make it to THIS video in the first place? That being said....these samples are only for testing. I would not leave them around your head on a necklace 24/7.

[@AttemptsAreGood]

From my understanding of the video this was naturally occurring uranium. Which is not one single uranium isotope, as it has not been refined. The only thing I saw that defined the uranium in this video stated that it was naturally occurring uranium. Which means it has a grand total of less than 1% of the 235 isotope. Perhaps you can share with me the point in the video that defines this as U235? Give me the time stamp. If you can't find it....Then declare a big "OOPS" on your part!

[@AttemptsAreGood]

So...you can't back it up with a simple time stamp? You burst into a topic, make a claim, then don't back it up and start calling names. You sound like the child, sir. Perhaps you should take your own advice rather than resort to whining. (When you begin name-calling, you are not simply "agreeing to disagree." You are being a child, yourself.) Back to my above, adult comment: Originally I was intrigued by your comment and thought I missed something. I watched the video again but still didn't see anything to justify your claim. But I still thought I might have missed it and you could still be right so I asked you for the time-stamp. You didn't give it and began childish, playground name-calling. What really happened is you watched it again, realized you were wrong, and were too big a child to admit it....so you called names. How proud your parents must be.....

[@AttemptsAreGood]

And again.....you can't back it up. Looks like you are the one who needs to cut the crap. The really interesting point is you are insulting yourself. You made a false claim that you still haven't, and can't, back up. So you result to name-calling (noob) and then deny what is right there in black and white above. Then you call more names and show just how terribly immature you are. All through this you still can't back up your own words.....and you still can't admit it. We know which is the real resident of mommy's basement......the one who can't back up his own words and resorts to whining and name-calling. You are an internet troll. You are the textbook example of someone who has a lot of bluster and acts like they know everything. And when shown they know nothing they just start name-calling. You demonstrate the 21st century method people today use to demonstrate their personal insecurities and just how fragile their ignorance has made them emotionally. People who lie about things to make others think they are smart and then when called on their lie begin ad hominem attacks on the one who is truly knowledgeable demonstrate the exact same emotional instability of rapists and mass killers. Get professional help now. Done with you who lies then calls names. Done with the man-child known as "Jake." Anyone who can't back up what they say is only a poster-child for psychotic behavior later in life. Waste. Of. Time.

[@AttemptsAreGood]

I never said you called ME a noob. I only said you used that in name-calling. You have serious reading and comprehension skills. I made no claim as to what uranium was used. You did. I have nothing to back up. I challenged YOU to back up your claim that he was using bomb grade uranium. You still have not done that. And we're all still waiting while you immaturely continue to remain silent on backing up YOUR claim. As for the availability of the radioactive ore the video DID claim he was using? Here's the first result of a single search. hundreds of other sources are out there. We used these freely available, safe samples in high school and college science labs. You are about as ignorant and dumb as a stump. #1 reason why? Because you claimed he was using weapons grade and can't back it up nor do a simple internet search to find the easily available samples that he WAS using. You can't admit you made a claim you can't back up. You either behave like, or are, an ignorant teenager. They are the only people who 1. Think they know everything, 2. Make false claims they are too proud to admit and take back, and 3. Attack others who show their falsehoods and ignorance. Grow up.... www.amazon.com/Images-SI-Uranium-Ore/dp/B000796XXM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479663986&sr=8-1&keywords=uranium

[@Sky1]

I just measured my garden soil, it is 2 times backgroud levels. Is that normal?

[@rickrude6301]

I have some golf ball size souvenere rocks from the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Do you think there could be any harmful levels of radiation from these rocks?

[@petras8385]

How do you know which day of the week your uranium piece is radioactive?

[@FakeMoonRocks]

If I become radioactivated, will I develop superpowers and be obligated to don spandex and fight evil where ever I find it?

[@sidthetech7623]

Cool video. Living in Vegas, its hard not to think about the nuclear waste dump nearby. Recently, and you can check on the news, near Beatty, something happened with the shallow dump material catching on fire somehow. It was really odd to me, and made me concerned. Having only experience in computer science like yourself and Not a physicist, I couldn't explain. I wasn't sure what caused it, as the news made it sound like the waste just spontaneously combusted. They did an aircraft flyby and reported no radiation leakage. hmm I can't help but remember the girls who painted the clocks with the radioactive glow in the dark paint, to see the effects of that, I'm eerily cautious and curious about any long term exposure effects of such things like that radiated Test Pad on your yellow geiger counter. I'm into Arduino and was looking at possibly making my own counter, and seeing and comparing what kind of levels are around the environment, though some of these counters look like you have to be right on the material for it to work. Do you know of anything that could be of higher sensitivity? For example: like if in the scenario that Vegas had another earthquake and radiation say about 100 miles away (at the nuclear waste dump) started to leak, is there anything you know that could detect something that far while being in town? I imagine the price goes up with sensitivity, and power usage as well ? Anyways, very fascinating information thanks for sharing.

[@Anti-proton]

+Ronald Passey I normally do not recommend Geiger counters and similar equipment out of worry over such things as the likelihood of an accident occurring in one of those areas is pretty low and they are normally pretty heavily shielded, but having a Geiger counter in such a situation does have its advantages. I normally only recommend them for scientific interest. That being said, most radiation is hard to pick up from a distance because of two reasons: 1. The various types of high-energy particles which constitute ionizing radiation interact with the atoms in the air causing them to lose energy or deflect. This is called attenuation. Just like a bullet passing through a forest and bouncing orslowing down as it encounters trees, radioactive particles, such as betas, alphas, or neutrons, slowdown as they pass through air. Gammas Do not slowdown, but they lose energy. 2. Secondly, if radiation emits from a single source outward, the intensity decreases as you step away from it rather fast. 1 square foot of your body might experience only 7% of the Intensity of radiation at 3 feet from a source as it did at 1 foot from the source. It drops off quite fast as you can see. Those little Arduino Counters do look interesting and could be quite fun to use to find things around the house that are slightly radioactive, but I wouldn't worry too much about the waste material. Now if you are dead set on worrying about the material regardless, you would need several expensive types of detectors to really know what's going on. You would need a pancake geiger counter, this type with the large and wide circular faces with a thin membrane allowing you to detect alpha particles. You would also probably want a gamma spectrometer to identify the materials your detecting. You could be looking at least 3000 or more dollars. I'd stick with the little homemade detector for fun, personal

[@yeshi5901]

Mine is in the shop

[@coloneldoge1513]

OMG THANK YOU also do you have a Geiger counter?

[@Shibee94]

With a Geiger counter in my hand.

[@cplinstructor]

lolmmm Who the hell is he? HQ said they were sending one agent, not two. (Nice Fallout reference)

[@cplinstructor]

Shibee94 ...gonna buy me a piece of government land...

[@conradmillermd]

Maybe I can share a different angle with different values: 500 rem exposure will cause acute radiation sickness & kill you within 2 weeks; xray techs wear badges that allow 5 rems per year exposure, which is very high but it's not 500 rems. Background radiation we all get is about 200 millirems or 0.2 rems per year in most places (tho govt trying to say it is higher to accommodate pollutions/exposures from nuclear industry). xrays / gamma rays. No safe dose of radiation exists. Hope this helps.

[@Anti-proton]

? I didn't give up college. I finished my BS in computer science and I will be returning for to start my MS in physics next year. My current project at work was quite intense, so I have had to wait a little longer.

[@Some1special]

So what you should have mentioned was exposure time. If you take a Geiger counter and hold it by a blade of grass and get weird readings you are likely getting those readings from all kinds of sources. For instance people that live at lower altitudes often get low readings however if you take the same reading from the same sample at high altitude you will get a significantly higher reading because there is less ozone buffer between you and the sun. However that is not to say other things at lower altitudes could not give you a higher reading such as ozone insulation of radiation and other factors that are extremely difficult to measure. Heck you might even have a natural deposit of radioactive material right below the grass that is causing that weird reading.

[@angry_zergling]

LOL *Measures uranium* Well, that clears up uranium! Now how about plutonium. O_______O For a millisecond I was half-expecting a transition where the ore was replaced by a yellow check source puck labeled 'plutonium'!

[@andrewesswein5778]

I don't think we are ready for this. too much power can end us all.

[@KandiKlover]

No we ready. It's all good.

[@redlinerer]

smoke alarms may not produce smoke to detect smoke but they are radioactive to detect it!

[@jimz508]

Great video, I became interested in this subject after Fukushima. I am a ham radio operator and one of the things I have always tracked is solar activity because of the way it influences radio communications, there are many sources on the internet for keeping tabs on what the sun is up to. Are there sources on the internet for tracking the type radiation your video presented? What is the most common type radiation most of us are apt to come in contact with?

[@bittechslow]

Cool video antiprotons, im in Australia,im a boilermaker, so I don't know anything about chemistry or phisics,what does this mean,how can u get an accurate measurement if the decay is so low but these low [ejections] are still dangerous.What I mean to say is can I measure if there is dangerous radiation in my environment as an ordinary person by investing in equipment or is this not practical.

[@rkshirey]

I just ordered a set of counters. a cd v 700 (the actual counter),a cd v 7 15, and 2 dosimeters and chargers. it was only 145 bucks...worth it.