Radiation Killed Douglas Crofut. No One Knows Why.

[@Thesbian91]

Absolutely love your documentary style, serious voice over for the videos in this series. Even better is getting to learn about things I had never heard of, and finding an intrest in something I probably never would have discovered without your content. Thank you so much Kyle, you're an awesome dude

[@Claymann71]

Professor voice vs Thor Dude-Bro voice Both are cool, but Professor carries more weight. 👍

[@cbpe1234]

@♜ Pinned by Kyle Hill why is this pinned, it looks like a scummy Kyle hill

[@aqacefan]

Kyle, you truly put the education in your role of science educator.

[@barrydysert2974]

You and your super power are my Super Hero !:-) Love is the greatest power of all. God bless you Kyle Hill 🆙💜🙏⚡️

[@Gildorify]

100% the same. Kyle is a bro.

[@mariebcfhs9491]

I love how in his most desperate hours, he makes sure to return the deadly thing safely to someone who knows how to handle it

[@META_mahn]

As depressing as this story is, he at least took himself and only himself. He could have done so much worse with that piece of iridium.

[@CBTheMechanic]

Me too, he must have been a troubled but honest man.

[@abc-wv4in]

Yes.

[@BlackFlagHeathen]

Well obviously he wanted to end himself and not hurt anyone else. So it makes sense.

[@wintershock]

Yeah. I’ve always noticed that people who want to end their lives make sure not to physically harm anyone and to soften the blow of their death in anyway. If he was aiming to end his life it makes sense that he’d want to make sure everything is left safe before he goes.

[@ButlerWho]

What struck me the most was that he took the trouble to make sure the iridium was safely recovered by someone who knew how to handle it. Despite what afflicted him, at the end of it all he was not without compassion.

[@abc-wv4in]

I agree. May he rest in peace, hopefully.

[@raistlinsly1]

He was just looking to hurt himself . a lost Pigtail can cause lots of damage to an unsuspecting public. It could take several incidents over years of hurt people before they even come to the conclusion there sickness was caused by radiation.

[@InsanityPlusOne]

"He" didn't, it was clearly found at the house of the one who stole it and used it to kill him...

[@JeronimoStilton14]

@@InsanityPlusOne The man was a hardly employable drunk, with him already having kneeled over unshielded cesium. No one would need to kill him, nor have the wherewithal to do it in this fashion.

[@paul-ld9vh]

I feel sorry for this tortured soul. One can never truly know what's in another person's heart. 😥

[@elwynn9931]

It’s entirely possible he did irradiate himself intentionally, but while drunk enough to where he didn’t remember doing it. Whether he did or not, this is still a tragedy. I hope his family was able to recover from this as best they could.

[@nomanmcshmoo8640]

I agree with you. The man was a chronic alcoholic in the worst way and I am betting that getting "blackout drunk" was his normal M.O. He had also thought of and performed terrible suicide attempts prior to this. This was a man with deep, deeeeep self hatred. He probably had the ability to be "operationally drunk". In other words, he could be fairly intoxicated (without yet being the black out stage or maybe eve IN the blackout stage) and still perform the necessary tasks to effectively steal a source and use it to end his life. He could have performed this in steps between bouts of drunkenness and sobriety; eventually completing his task and realizing his ultimate goal....and then drink it allllll awayyyyy with no coherent memory of what he had done. Poor guy. 😢

[@scottcantdance804]

"Or was this the first case of a suspected suicide by radiation." In complete seriousness, there are probably hundreds of better ways to go out. Lethal dose of radiation has to be damn near the bottom of the list.

[@bplup6419]

@@nomanmcshmoo8640 Spot on. In a drunken state he had the constitution and retained the know how to finally end himself. Why else would he put it so near his heart?

[@carlicbread8199]

God that is just terrifying. Imagine intentionally killing yourself but not remembering committing the act,

[@bplup6419]

@@carlicbread8199 He may not have remembered the details, but the deed had been in his mind for a long time.

[@mini3mayhem]

The thing that stands out to me were his methods. The gasoline, the previous exposure to radiation, both of these would’ve been extremely painful ways to die. The way he did end up dying was extremely painful. Even if he didn’t intentionally expose himself that one last time, he wanted to die in an extremely painful and hard to fix way based off of his previous attempts.

[@HeyLeFay]

Especially because back in the 80s it would’ve been even easier to get access of quicker methods. I feel like that’s indicative of either some heeeeavy amounts of self-loathing/a need to punish himself, or the possibility of making his death seem more unintentional, either to make his family feel better or to allow them to claim a life insurance pay out.

[@williambrandondavis6897]

The gas suicide is hearsay. Until it’s the actual person that witnessed it testifying to that, in person and willing to be cross examined by a skeptic, we can not take it as evidence. Not unless you want to make yourself easily manipulated that is.

[@wormwoodbecomedelphinus4131]

​@@HeyLeFaygiven that this was while he was drunk? It's also possible he simply.... tried it. Human stupidity is a cosmic force even before factoring alcohol into the equation.

[@dfinlen]

​@@wormwoodbecomedelphinus4131and he may have only become suicidal and impulsive while drunk. That possibly being the case he just used whatever opportunistically was available. Sad.

[@erinbeaud4556]

Maybe so it would be harder to resuscitate him? Unlike if he tried to drown or OD

[@Narokuu1]

My dad was a non destructive radiographer for 30 years. He did this his entire life. I almost went into the same job, but living in a hotel room and having no friends or family is a huge burden on you. Mental stability in this line of work is very difficult. its insanely hard working conditions, a lot of travel, and 16 hours days. and not to mention being around radiation. They have insane security measures on these cameras now. As they could be used to make dirty bombs. i give my respect to these workers.

[@mrsleeve325is]

Your totally correct, been at it for nearly 20 years myself, addiction, depression, massive stress and divorce are all too common in this line of work.

[@RhianKristen]

Why the hell would they require 16 hour days while working with dangerous equipment!? Sleep deprivation can be deadly enough with less dangerous equipment.

[@pleaseunshadowbanme]

@@RhianKristen goy slaves need to work, it is the way, pay your taxes slave.

[@nt78stonewobble]

@@RhianKristen "Why the hell would they require 16 hour days while working with dangerous equipment!? Sleep deprivation can be deadly enough with less dangerous equipment." I suspect that it's because the danger isn't really to the equipment, but to the people handling it. The equipment is probably expensive and therefore needs to be used as much as possible to earn it's money back. And it's less expensive to wear out 1 person after another, than it is to keep 2 or 3 people (in shifts) running forever. Sad truth. It's also why we had to enforce rules regarding sleep and driving for truck drivers.

[@RhianKristen]

@@nt78stonewobble yeah, I know. My comment was mostly rhetorical. All I can say is: viva la revolucion

[@RebSike]

The slow, torturous, agonizing method of suicide he chose, paired with a history of severe alcoholism and suicide attempts speaks to an immense self-hatred Mr. Crofut must have had within himself to commit such complete self-destruction. very sad

[@RESURGAM.]

I know right? like jesus, I wish he had gotten some help in some way sooner..

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@RESURGAM. Me, too! What an awful way to end one's life. Poor man.

[@MMallon425]

it really does speak volumes about his mental state. Very sobering to think that by comparison, his earlier suicide attempt of self-immolation(which I think most of us would classify as extreme) in his backyard would have been tame and relatively quick.

[@codygrannemann9506]

Especially when he tried to kill himself with gasoline and matches.

[@vic5015]

Geez, there are definitely easier and less unpleasant ways to take one's life.

[@adamc5914]

My father was also a drunk, who tried once or twice a week to kill us all by turning the gas stove on without igniting it before leaving for work, among other things. He never apologized, or even admitted to anything, even up til his death recently. He has always given me this feeling like the denial of alcoholics is so strong, it's like they have two minds, unaware of eachother. For that reason, I don't find it surprising or convincing that Douglas swore all the way up to his death that he didn't know where the burns came from.

[@AgentOffice]

Sorry to hear

[@CaraTheStrange]

Im very sorry to hear this, it makes my dad who also has a alcohol problem sound like the best man on earth

[@ctdieselnut]

Jesus christ. That first sentence was expressed so casually, yet its about as serious as it can get. Sorry to hear that about your father.

[@SaintJosaphatBishopMartyr]

I’m so sorry

[@evonne315]

That was like my ex, who tried to take me and him out together. Drunk. Luckily I was sober. Then two years later, my mother tried to take me out to prove something for her ego. She drunk, for days. Myself sober but sick and bedridden in her house. A friend had to rescue me. I have no lives left to risk. I trust no-one now. People dont know themselves. How can I know them? My heart goes out to you. ♥️

[@Lawrence330]

This story is a great example for the "scientists don't even know what/how caused [blank]" argument. Scientists have great hypotheses for a lot of mysteries that just can't be "proven" in the scientific sense. It doesn't mean that scientists are baffled or dumbfounded and just can't figure it out.

[@pktdbgnzwl]

Can't figure it out - Yet.

[@Yamaazaka]

Well they still don't know. Science only goes as far as it goes. Theory is theory.

[@andysmith1996]

Science doesn't prove things.

[@sfglim5341]

@@andysmith1996 🤓

[@andysmith1996]

@@sfglim5341 Sorry, I've never bothered to follow what emojis are meant to convey, thus I have no idea what you're trying to say.

[@x77Flip77x]

If he did it intentionally, then he took deliberate steps to ensure that no one else was harmed. So, he has my full empathy and respect.

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

I don’t believe he did it on purpose

[@awetistic5295]

This is honestly heartbreaking. Radiation would be the last suicide method I'd ever chose. Even at my worst when I had already picked a fail-safe method, I wouldn't have subjected myself to the worst possible death known to mankind. The fact that he chose this fate over life says a lot about how much he must have suffered.

[@jackr2287]

Hope you're still with us dude. Troubled as the world is, we're better above it than six below.

[@wolfetteplays8894]

Nah bruh, crucifixion is worse

[@awetistic5295]

@@jackr2287 It's rare to find such kind comments and I really appreciate it. Gladly, my mental health hasn't been that bad for quite a while. I have some wonderful people around me that don't deserve the heartbreak, so I got myself help before it was too late. My body is still pretty much falling apart, but I'm way too stubborn to give in. Life can be pretty awesome when it doesn't suck.

[@awetistic5295]

@@wolfetteplays8894 I'd say that depends on the severity of the radiation sickness. If the absorbed dose is high enough to kill you in a few hours, crucifixion will be more agonizing. Anything from 6 to 30 Gray is hell on Earth for days or even weeks before you go out. Even 2 to 6 Gray can qualify as a fate worth than death if you survive. That being said, crucifixion is definitely very high on the list of worst ways to die, especially if they keep you alive as long as possible.

[@jackr2287]

@@awetistic5295 The world is troubled, and fairly I've injected my share of negativity and entropy. Part of me is reluctant to cast out random acts of well wishing... because partly it's just words. Lines of text on a screen. I don't really know you, and vice versa. But, I don't have that same doubt about prayer, and perhaps even this little grain of sand can build a mountain, or be the start of something.

[@koradive]

Love how this is explained. It was a closed case as "unexplainable" because the commission had to deal in facts. The facts they had to work with were coincidences. While they made perfect sense put together combined with his previous history, they were still coincidences and weren't perfectly lined up into a cause/effect explanation. Therefore, "unexplainable". Love this series!

[@ceu160193]

Wonder why didn't he try something less painful, as suicide by radiation is probably one of most painful ways to die.

[@Salsmachev]

People are also weird and judgemental about suicide. They probably didn't want to be responsible for confirming it if they didn't have to.

[@sean..L]

Indeed. The only thing unexplained is what Crowfoot did not explain himself.

[@cameron7374]

@@sean..L If he did do it by stealing radioactive material, maybe he didn't want to be remembered as a thief, maybe he regretted it and didn't want to admit it or maybe he was near black-out drunk and genuinely did not remember.

[@sean..L]

@@cameron7374 Actually, that's a good point. Since he was a known alcoholic with a history of mishandling the stuff it is very possible that the reason he didn't remember what happened to him is because he was blacked out on the job.

[@thaneoffife6904]

It's hard to imagine someone choosing such a fate. To die by radiation poisoning has to be one of the worst fates any person could be subjected to. To spend months in unimaginable pain as your body slowly but inevitably deteriorates before your very eyes and the eyes of your loved ones. I don't know the misery of Douglas Crofut's life but the misery of his death, for himself and those around him, is truly horrifying to imagine.

[@ceu160193]

Maybe he just didn't have access to any other means to end himself. Unsure, if that is real or not, but USSR had similar person, that tried to end themselves by injecting radium-containing compound. No mystery this time, as he admitted, what he did, and it took him 2 years to die.

[@LexYeen]

@@ceu160193 uhhh. guns are easy to get in the USA, and a lot more instant than radiation exposure.

[@ceu160193]

@@LexYeen Easy, if you do not have criminal record. This guy did have one, so no guns.

[@werelemur1138]

@@ceu160193 He could jump off a bridge, drink or inject drain cleaner, drive off the road into something solid at a high rate of speed, jump in front of a train, pair his booze with sleeping pills (legally or illegally obtained) or slit his wrists. All faster and less painful. If he actively chose the most horrific, drawn-out, painful way to die imaginable there was something severely wrong inside his brain.

[@andrasbiro3007]

@@ceu160193 I don't think it makes much harder to get a gun. But there are many other far less painful alternatives too.

[@SammyEdgeINC]

I think what is so scary about radiation is that you can totally pick up a inspecting object and end up having your whole life changed forever. The unforeseen consequences are the most terrifying. That's why it is important we all are informed of these things.

[@noahkline4263]

I agree. Just like the welder who had his leg amputated. Put that container in his pocket like it's just another tool and left it there for hours. No thought given to the act.. a decision made out of a moment of curious human compulsion. Cost him his leg, his job, who knows what else, then all the psychological damage of going through it all and living with the aftermath of it. Just.. horrifying. Truly. Makes me stop to consider just how likely it is this kind of thing will happen as we continue to move into a global nuclear age while also living in the increasingly unstable world that politics forces us all to live in fear of.. 1000s of orphan sources added to the roster year after year. Definitely feel like nuclear apocalypse is the only end point humanity has if we don't start cracking down hard on any and all radioactive materials and technology and making sure they're all safely stored, handled, or decommisioned as well as making sure to inform as many populaces as possible, the threat and danger of potential orphan sources.

[@xanmontes8715]

Though what I am going to share stems from fiction, it reminds me of an episode from House where a father accidentally gave his only son (and last remnant of his wife) a case that was, sadly, highly radioactive. Can you imagine losing your wife, promising to care for your son only to find out (from Dr. House of all people) that your son is a walking radioactive corpse, too innocent to umderstand that he is already dead. Gods...

[@misfitr]

i believe you mean unsuspecting, not inspecting :)

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

"Drop and run"

[@BallsItchReal]

Prepare for unforseen consequences...

[@Slip0824]

He must have really hated himself to choose such a slow and painful way to go out. This poor man. Words cannot describe how oppressive life can be sometimes, and I can only wonder at the depths of his despair. I hope he has found his peace.

[@looseleafteabutworse]

There is something so inherently tragic about someone who wants to cause themselves unimaginable suffering, who believes they deserve unimaginable suffering, being gentle, kind, compassionate, and concerned enough to have been so careful to protect everyone else. He thought he deserved to suffer, and yet, took such intricate care to make sure no one else ever did. I wonder if he knows that somewhere deep down, even then, he was a good person. I wonder if he died knowing he didn't deserve it. I hope he knew. I really hope.

[@moulder44]

If he were alive today... I would want to give him a comforting hug and sit beside him just talking about anything... Just being there and treating him like a human being. I doubt he actually deserved to go that way... He should have gone peacefully and in as little pain as possible.

[@JoeRogansForehead]

Back in my day suicidal people didn’t go to schools , they just took care of themselves . This new generation is soft , always trying to hurt others

[@beesbeesbeesbeesbees]

The deeper problem is that this sympathy is only afforded to the dead. People are in this world right now and suffer as badly as this poor man, and nobody cares. Their families, friends, doctors; everyone around them is apathetic. And then they die, and everyone pretends they were there for them. It's humanity at its most wretched. Please, if you know people around you who are lonely, just... speak to them. Reach out. Before it's too late.

[@looseleafteabutworse]

@@beesbeesbeesbeesbees yeah, I know. I'm one of those people. Being suicidal is a unique kind of hell.

[@techno1561]

@beesbeesbeesbeesbees You also have to consider that someone in that state may also hide it, so that they don't inconvenience others for it. It's easy to say that you would give them a hug if you saw them, but that's only because you know what will happen otherwise. But if you met them, you might not realise anything was different, unless it was too late.

[@EnderKiller225]

“We will never know the truth, as that light faded with his.” Sent intense chills down my spine

[@illustriouschin]

Why does everyone keeps saying that?

[@duetopersonalreasonsaaaaaa]

@@illustriouschin the quote or using chills to describe a body reaction to something?

[@brianjensen5661]

@Don't read profile photo I did it. Fight me.

[@AndyP4X]

Cringe

[@STRAKAZulu]

I always look forward to new Half-Life Stories episodes.

[@dangerkoopa64]

@♜ Pinned by Kyle Hill i agree ♜ Pinned by Kyle Hill

[@bean_TM]

at least somebody can count to 3 amirite

[@zacharyjohnson9562]

@@bean_TM nah you didn’t need to do that 😂

[@harrietharlow9929]

Me, too!

[@gavxmas]

I look forward to him running out of them. But it's compelling for sure

[@lillyrith]

This is, to me, the most haunting case of radiation exposure aside from Hisashi Ouchi. Douglas knew the materials he was handling, and thus, this is not a suicide where a person wants a way out, but one where the victim in question utterly and unequivocally hates themselves. I wish he’d been able to receive help, or had chosen any other way.

[@nco_gets_it]

Years ago in the Army...there's a statement...I caught a female soldier with her breasts exposed to a radio waveguide. She was trying to give herself breast cancer to get out of the army. I've often wondered what eventually happened to her. People who get to an emotional or psychological point of despair can and will do things no ordinary person can fathom. Drugs and alcohol only fuel these things. It appears he tried to medicate with alcohol and when that failed, he did something new to relieve that emotional pain. A waste to be sure, but a story as old as mankind.

[@jamesspencer1997]

That's messed up about the women she did not have to be in the military is she did not want to like males.

[@gingersnap9712]

Failing pt test and height and weight is a better way

[@ionbusman2086]

@@gingersnap9712Not when they lower the bar

[@0_dearghealach_083]

... Could she not... resign? Write a letter to the boss, saying "I quit"??

[@lilyflower5895]

@@0_dearghealach_083 You don't resign from the military. You have to either finish your contracted term or be discharged.

[@dylanhoel1636]

As an Industrial radiographer myself I’d always hoped you’d find a way to make a video about what we do. The “cameras” as we call them that he would have operated back in the 1980 and 90s were MUCH easier to manipulate and have the radioactive source become separate from the casing. The yellow “cameras” you showed are Delta 880s and it’s what we use today are it’s basically impossible to accidentally lose the source. This was 100% a suicide. He wouldn’t have even needed to steal a source to do this to himself. He could have simply taken a break at work and done this to himself. I don’t believe he had stolen the source.

[@Appletank8]

He was jobless at the time, so probably couldn't have just grabbed one.

[@monhi64]

Yeah he could’ve done that if he was employed, hell he did do that and that’s exactly why he was fired. After that he had no access which is why he stole it, there’s no other reasonable explanation besides him stealing it, or it was a set up to make it look like he did that.

[@loganb.768]

I been xraying for 12 years myself, its still hard for me to believe someone with our knowledge would intentionally put themselves through that much pain. But idk, for some the pain of living might be worse...

[@Misha-dr9rh]

This seems like an interesting job, how'd you get started in the field?

[@jeremiahshoemaker9512]

For me, Ridgewater College, Hutchinson, MN. Now I work as a certified NAS-410 level 2 DR and CT technician...

[@Balin_James]

Damn, that was a dark one. This is probably my favorite series on KZbin, honestly. I love how you’re writing

[@Xeverous]

You should checkout Fascinating Horror then. A very similar in style to Kyle's radiation-related videos but about all kinds of catastrophes (usually engineering).

[@VeggieRice]

he has an entire team, he does not do his own writing or all of his own research anymore.

[@lysander9957]

The most bonkers thing about this, is that he'd been arrested so many times, yet companies kept hiring him to work with radioactive materials. "Yes, I see you've been arrested for drunkenness over 10 times. But I'm sure you're sorry. Here, have iridium. Im such a good hiring manager."

[@Bacopa68]

The oil boom back then was insane. Anyone could get a job and halfway competent people would be promoted. Those were the glory days of the "Ahl Bidness".

[@MaxArceus]

To be fair, he did handle it correctly. He even silently returned it safely

[@shingshongshamalama]

Why give people psychiatric counseling when you can give them jerbs instead right?

[@whoissyx]

Id also imagine that being able to do this job has to come with some serious extensive training and certification as such i can imagine at that time there werent lots of people who could do the job so you kinda had to take what you could get

[@matheussanthiago9685]

@@Bacopa68 how on earth did Matt Groening choose to depict springfield in the pocket of a corrupt nuclear powerplant, instead of anything oil relate will forever confound me

[@gnbman]

This is one of the saddest things I've ever heard. Imagine being so _desperately_ sad that you set yourself on a course of unimaginable physical pain just to end it *eventually*.

[@theBoonarmies]

It would have been unbelievably easy to sensationalize this story. But I think you've tackled it in a profoundly humane way. Bravo Kyle. If there were ten of you, the world would still sorely need more.

[@ericalbers4867]

If he really was as much of a drink as prone made him seem, I could easily believe he truly had no idea what or how it happened. Many heavy drinkers have memory issues. Even those that don't drink often can have memory issues if they get drunk enough. So whatever happened stayed with his drunken self and slipped away shortly thereafter.

[@GGorsty]

That borderline sounds like a ... schizophrenia? Alternate personality which did something, well, horrifying to a straight mind.

[@atomicsquirrel6457]

@@GGorsty As a person who got blackout drunk with some frequency, it’s a lot like that, except what’s going on is that the alcohol has broken the person’s ability to form long-term memories.

[@eritain]

Makes a lot of sense. "Wet-brain" (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome) is when heavy, long-term alcohol use causes vitamin B1 (thiamin) deficiency. It makes all the confusion, amnesia, and executive function problems of being drunk, even if they're sober. Sometimes straight-up psychosis. Add to that the fact that long-term alcohol abuse causes depression, and you've got a recipe for a tragedy like this.

[@chestersnap]

I've known people who tend towards misery when they reach that level of drunk, too

[@monhi64]

@@GGorsty good bit different than schizophrenia IMO. With the alcoholism we’re mostly saying he just physically has no memory of doing that. You ever been blackout? You don’t really feel out of touch with reality you feel like a dumbass lol

[@keystep8669]

That has got to be the worst way to end your life. I've dealt with severe episodes of depression but nothing has ever made me want to hurt myself in such a slow agonizing manner. I hope that man is at peace now, even if that peace is just not being

[@jwaller89]

I used to work as an industrial radiographer for 12 years until I got laid off last year. We are taught from day one that it only takes seconds to cause serious harm if a mistake is make. We have tons of safety gear now to prevent that from happening. but if it’s intentional, there’s no saving you.

[@securi-t]

Imagine being so miserable, having professional knowledge of how painful a death from radiation poisoning is, and comitting suicide by irradiating yourself. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

[@hakugin15]

What a remarkable event. He could have never imagined that decades later, so many people would be enthralled by your video, and his name would not be forgotten.

[@venomancer711]

He was a man who just wanted to end the pain, his alcoholism and past history shows what was eating him inside was hurting more than the radiation ever did and i feel bad for him. I hope he found the peace he was looking for R.I.P Mr. Crofut

[@Norsilca]

It seems he actually didn't want to end the pain, in a sense. He knew how painful death by radiation is. From that and the gasoline, it's apparent he felt compelled to inflict pain on his way out. It's such a tragedy when people wind up in such a dark place of self punishment.

[@venomancer711]

@@Norsilca that's what makes it even sadder, he probably wanted to feel something even if it was pain he was in a very dark place indeed

[@VVVVV99611]

Most authentic condolences. 😔

[@venomancer711]

@George Thomas its the youtube comment section what did you expect ?

[@Denkmaldrubernacht]

​@@Norsilcahe probably justified it to himself in a way to where he thought he deserved the pain. Something was eating him up in guilt to where only his own suffering would make him feel like justice was served

[@DavidStruveDesigns]

Well, the fact the most severe burns seem concentrated over his chest and heart kinda confirms it was definitely suicide. It's the place I'd probably hold it if I were trying to do the same thing, hoping the radiation would fry my heart quickly and cause a not TOO painfully or drawn out death. Or I'd hold it to my head, but I don't know if you'd be able to hold it there for long enough to be entirely fatal since it'd probably make you feel very ill and have seizures rather quickly. He probably left the device with the neighbour because he KNEW the guy would know how to handle it properly, instead of risking his family by leaving it in the house or risk strangers by just dumping it somewhere. So at the very least he DID try and think of others as his last act before death.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Tho the box was marked...

[@williambrandondavis6897]

Same place an abused wife might put it too. Think about it. She might have got tired of his drunken ways. Her heart was broken so she destroyed his, it’s a possibility. More plausible than suicide by radiation in my opinion. Murder by radiation isn’t unheard of. Neither is poisoning an abusive partner. Suicide by radiation on the other hand has never been documented.

[@enidoppermann7447]

​@@williambrandondavis6897 😅

[@charliecek]

​@@williambrandondavis6897Kyle said in the video that no radiation was found in his wife which would be fairly difficult for her to achieve imho..

[@charlybr0wn226]

Suicide by radiation is a pretty shitty way to go it’s very slow and very painful. To anybody contemplating suicide 1st don’t. However, if your going to ignore that message just don’t choose radiation poisoning it’s literally one of the worst ways to go.

[@BattleManiac7]

What I love about these videos is its always respectful to the victims. Some channels on KZbin try to "amp up" the horror and over dramatize it, but I feel like these videos just let the cold hard reality of the situations speak of how horrible what happened is. What a sad story. Just, good lord what a way to die. Even his failed attempt at setting himself on fire would have been a painful way to go, but his actual death is so much longer and drawn out. Just...man. Look out for your loved ones everyone, sometimes people are hurting inside.

[@abc-wv4in]

Yes, I appreciate the respect shown to the victims in these videos. Mr. Ballen's YT videos are also always respectful to the victims.

[@VibbyABibby]

I feel terrible for this man. He had his life ripped to shreds by substance addiction and was unfortunately given the opportunity to be around such harmful chemicals. I hope he's doing better now.

[@lilybruggeman9634]

hes literally dead bruh

[@diegoxavier9107]

@@lilybruggeman9634 People do believe in the afterlife

[@SouthernGothicTransplant]

I've been watching several of your KZbin videos lately, and I just wanted to say that I really appreciate the compassion with which you treat the victims of these nuclear accidents. You present history as history, neither blandly nor salaciously, but always reminding the viewer to remember that, ultimately, history is about people, individuals who all had stories and intrinsic, irrevocable value, and are not just what happened to them. This takes a lot of care and effort, something that many other history channels lack. I have a degree in archives, so it means so much to me to see someone treat the subjects of the events with care. Remembering the human is something we need more of. Thank you.

[@zara658]

It’s always humbling to see Kyle do these kinds of usually goofy energy videos about certain topics but when it’s something like this? The goofy energy is shut down and it takes a turn to very serious, respectful, and something that really gets you thinking in a very different way than what you came into the video thinking. Your work is amazing, keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t change.

[@obotowski]

Very good video, this series always has something interesting to offer and Kyle makes it all the better. Great work, dude

[@TheDaggwood]

Having lost people on their own terms, the comforting thought has always been a quick check out from this planet. I can't imagine suicide with suffering like that. He wanted pain, that's not suicidal its something much more complicated.

[@Medicalguy]

Very complicated. He didnt want to just go out easy. He wanted to suffer as much as possible first.

[@TheDaggwood]

@@Medicalguy a true masochist!

[@eleanorrobinsonedwards7090]

It's so sad to know how deeply this man was hurting to do that to himself, while also being so considerate of other people that he still managed to safely return the iridium

[@williamkane]

14:43: As soon as I saw this picture of him, it was obvious that he did it on purpose. Everyone in that picture is smiling, but Douglas seems lost in thoughts, or paralyzed by mental pain. His eyes are looking away from the camera, kind of towards the floor, as if he didn't care if he was in the picture or not. The sad thing is, people who never lived in such mental distress, they simply can't tell. They don't know how it feels. May he rest in peace.

[@hermeticascetic]

Love the nuclear content. I was a nuclear propulsion mechanic on a submarine for 8 years and it got tiring trying to dispel myths and rumors around nuclear power.

[@erikawanner7355]

My dad has his engineering certification in nuclear engineering so he can relate to you trying to dispel those myths…. So frustrating thanks to Chernobyl (and 3 mile island) along with the ignorance of the media who covered the incidents

[@hermeticascetic]

@@erikawanner7355 TMI wasn't as bad as it was made out to bed iirc background radiation in the area was raised such that it was the equivalent of eating a banana every day. I did the math a long time ago but it wasn't at all significant. Which is kind of the point. US is so much more restrictive that even a small amount of release to the public is considered a major incident

[@Ulmaramlu]

A very sobering video. I can imagine that it was the "no take backs" part of radiation poisoning that appealed to him in the darkest moments, if it was in fact suicide. 5 minutes of painless exposure to guarantee death, even if that death is one of the most painful later. Stay healthy people! Mental health is part of health!

[@evilsharkey8954]

And don’t shrug off suicidal ideation! If your brain starts lying to you and telling you that you should kill yourself, see a professional ASAP! If that professional is a bad match, ask to see a different one. You’re worth more than what your intrusive thoughts are telling you.

[@anita2293]

It's scary how easy it was, I'm depressed alcoholic too, and if i got my hands on this iridium capsule i would probably do the same thing

[@okuno54]

You're probably very right about the inevitability of it. It's really... well, one of the reasons I'm alive is that in those moments, I still wanted the method to be foolproof: I didn't want it to fail and give anyone the chance to intervene. I'm doing far better, but I think I'll still just not put myself into a field that has access to sources of high radiation, just in case!

[@clearlyrebecca]

I don't know what sorts of metaphorical demons would have to possess someone for them to CHOOSE dying in this manner. Of ALL the ways to go, this has got to be one of the most horrible. The amount and length of suffering... just mind-boggling.

[@harrietharlow9929]

This whole story gives me the chills. I hope that he is at peace now.

[@userjarabecko]

every violent death is the most horrible

[@imalloutagum6083]

This is an unbelievable story. Its heart wrenching how much pain this man put himself through.

[@trentconnorfarnsworth9133]

As a fellow industrial radiographer this is insane. Great Video.

[@casacara]

It's hard to understand why someone would choose to end their life with radiation poisoning, I cannot imagine a worse way to die.

[@blipco5]

Sitting naked on an anthill of red fire ants may be as bad.

[@Khailward]

A guarantee of death, possibly believing he deserved the pain? It's a stretch, granted.

[@Lawrence330]

The NRC investigators did hypothesize that he would have been exposed beyond the LD50, as per Kyle's statements in the video. It's possible that he was as surprised as anyone that he didn't die more quickly. During the video, I started to wonder if perhaps all of the alleged actions occurred in a blackout and poor Douglas, who insisted until his death that he "didn't know" what happened, actually didn't recall any of it.

[@carriefernandez8705]

The guy also already tried to set himself on fire and failed. He probably thought this was at least a foolproof method, even if it took a lot longer.

[@blipco5]

This guy was a loser from day one. He f'd up all over the place including killing himself. I hope they double checked his work.

[@77knives]

Possibly two main motives, 1, Suicide. 2, "Accidental Death" to secure a life insurance pay out for his family, since he could not work to provide for them due to his severe alcoholism (If he ever had one). I suspect this is a very likely scenario, IF he had life insurance. Of course he would not incriminate and out himself, as that would void a potential life insurance payout.

[@evilsharkey8954]

Maybe that’s why the commission ultimately chose to say they didn’t know what happened instead of drawing a likely conclusion.

[@mommyto11]

As his daughter, I can assure you that he had no life insurance!

[@evilsharkey8954]

@@mommyto11I’m sorry about the tragic loss of your father.

[@mommyto11]

@@evilsharkey8954 Thank you. It was very difficult at the time, and it is very painful now when I see his story being told so inaccurately along with so many comments that are based upon these unfounded rumors.

[@77knives]

@@mommyto11 Sorry to hear, I only speculated on the information provided in the video. Unfortunately, a lot of things do not get accurately reported. Hopefully one day you manage to clear up the unfounded rumors. Sorry about your tragic loss & people making rumors about it..

[@neetard7360]

Well I'll be, a story under the nuclear umbrella I haven't seen till now! Thank you Kyle!

[@misanthropichumanist4782]

Yeah, I hadn't heard it before, either! Also... like the self-deprecating name... 😅

[@KidarWolf]

This is such an incredibly sad tale. To die in such a way, regardless of whether it was by choice, is a horrible way to go. If it was by choice, I find it hard to imagine a worse choice for one's own demise. That the material was safely returned is one of the few positives in the story.

[@johnwrath3612]

Damn. That’s a horrific way to die. Slow and agonizing. My father was an extreme alcoholic who also took his own life. I feel a deep empathy for the man, I’ve had substance abuse issues too. Clean for 12 years now. The fact that he safely returned the iridium says to me that this was a conscious choice. He wanted to punish himself. He wanted to hurt. It’s a shame that he didn’t get the help he needed and a double shame that he didn’t choose a simpler less painful method. At least give yourself a bigger dose of radiation, make it quick and deadly rather than slow and torturous.

[@sststr]

If he did intentionally expose himself to gamma rays, I can believe he would deny it, as if he admitted it would have resulted in all kinds of criminal charges. I'm guessing, since it involves nuclear material, probably some extremely serious charges at that. Now maybe they wouldn't have actually charged him because he was a dead man anyways, or at least waited to charge him to see whether or not he would recover. If he admitted to it, his family would forever have to bear the shame of knowing he had done this egregious criminal act, whether or not he was ever arrested for it. By denying it, his family can, if they choose, reject the accusations as unsubstantiated and not have to suffer the ignominy of his being a criminal in this way. By staying silent, he gave his family some cover. For a man as troubled as he seems to have been, that was a pretty decent thing for him to have done.

[@superluminalsquirrel9359]

I feel like the potential of this being unintentional would leave a weird lingering uncertainty to the whole thing, but that’s just my 2 cents.

[@VogtTD]

Why would his family feel shame about this?

[@RobinTheBot]

You're way overthinking it. If he had any insurance, especially health insurance, they do not cover suicide. Suicide was and still is HEAVILY stigmatized. Not because it is a crime, because it is suicide and offensive to religion. That's enough shame, and enough reason to ignore it.

[@SECONDQUEST]

@@RobinTheBot this

[@YounesLayachi]

@@VogtTD think about it, how would you feel in the 90s , being part of the only family to suffer such event ? The media coverage, the rumours, the side eye and talking behind backs would be unheard of.

[@bethmoore7722]

Kyle, there are a few channels for which I hit the “like” button as soon as I start the video. Yours is one of them. Thank you for your always informative and well-researched content. If I were a teacher, I would use your channel, especially the video in which you explained that googling isn’t research. The whole country needs to hear that one.

[@chromiyum6849]

@♜ Pinned by Kyle Hill sure buddy

[@burnttoqst9061]

7

[@diegotoledo3794]

the only half life series that I expect to see a new part, good job as always .

[@jibikart3828]

Huge respect for making sure nobody would be harmed but himself

[@dantreadwell7421]

Damn. The fact that he knew exactly what that would do to him, and how ugly it was going to be, and seems to have done it anyway. . . It says things about his mental state, and how much he felt he deserved to suffer. I mean, yea, just damn.

[@DorifutoRabbit]

You always treat these stories of real people and real situations very respectfully, and keep any jokes for your more lighthearted videos, which I appreciate.

[@a.harrington1634]

These stories are always so thoughtfully and respectfully done. I appreciate so much that you don't sensationalise or mock anyone you cover.

[@PhoebusAmoebus]

Despite how dark it gets sometimes, I'm absolutely fascinated by this series and would love to see more.

[@Yoarashi]

i was once deeply suicidal myself. in that state, you think life is infinite agony and death the only cure. you don't wanna put the people in your life through the "inconvenience" of your death, but also can't bear to keep existing just for other people's sake, and therefore resent the idea that someone, including yourself, might try to stop you... suffering some more in the name of discreet and irreversible "salvation" probs seemed like a small price to pay in that moment when the mental pain was at its peak and the physical pain of the slow death ahead of him had yet to come

[@I.am.Sarah.]

I found this on a website about Douglas Crofut. I can't confirm if it was written by his daughter or not. (assuming due to the posters female name). Douglas Crofut was my father. I was a teenager when he died of an extreme overexposure to radiation. I didn't know this information was on here until brought to my attention yesterday. There is so much more to this story that was never brought to the public eye. Just one example of that would be a time I remember when my father was working at 3 mile island in Pennsylvania. The men wore badges each day that measured any amount of radiation they may have been exposed to. One day in particular, my father came home from work extremely upset because something had happened at work, he said that they all knew that they had been exposed to radiation but didn't know how much. He was very worried about what that amount would turn out to be. He said that when their badges were analyzed they would be able to find out the level of exposure. Only that never happened, because the group of badges from that day completely disappeared. There seemed to be alot of these types of things that would play out over the years until he finally passed away at such a young age. My father worked in this industry for approximately 15 years. What wasn't known until after his death was that radiation exposures are cumulative. Each time your body is exposed over the years, it continues to build up in your body. Your body isn't able to slowly get rid of the smaller exposures over time. While it does seem that the massive radiation dose that he had was centered on his chest area - which, btw, was way worse than gruesome, if he had exposed himself to radiation he couldn't have done so without exposing the whole town that he lived in. In the early days of his hospitalization, it was said that he had an exposure in excess to 180 rads of Iridium which would be enough to wipe out the population of the town he lived in. (Later, I believe it was updated to twice that amount.) The Nuclear Regulatory Control Commission came to town with their Geiger counters measuring the levels of radiation all over town because it just wasn't possible to 'steal the missing capsule from a locked truck and the capsule re appear sometime later at someone else's house after placing it in his pocket for a period of time' without exposing the whole town. (That was according to the NRCC at that time.) The biggest part of that story that has no substance is that neither of these two other men wouldn't have even been looking in either of those trucks for the radiation capsule, to even report a theft, until they had reached another job and had a reason to open the back of that truck with the enclosed capsule inside. When my dad was working, he had one of those trucks at home. Theres no purpose at all to go into the back of it unless you were at a job site. So I do not believe that there was a "reported missing capsule" from one truck and then weeks later its discovered on a different workers back porch. IF that happened, WHY would the first worker have been looking for the radiation capsule in a residential neighborhood to begin with. I think that was a "setup story" to try to make it look like my fathers fault. No, my dad didn't have any life insurance, since he was unemployed at the time, workmen's comp wasn't an issue, he didn't have anything to gain by doing this. Did he have issues with alcohol at the time, absolutely. If he had wanted to commit suicide I believe he would have just done it. It wouldn't have been with radiation. He was very intelligent, he knew enough about radiation to know that a lethal dose would be a slow, agonizing death that he surely didn't choose. He adamantly denied this until the day he died. I know a lot of people will disagree, and that's fine. But, I lived through this, I watched him slowly burn from the inside out. It was extremely traumatizing. I have pictures of how it ate his body from the inside out. It was like nothing I have ever seen and nothing I hope to ever see any human ever go through again.

[@delanieforeman304]

Douglas Crofut was my grandfather. His daughter’s name is now Lisa Foreman (previously Lisa Crofut). If you look up Lisa Crofut/Foreman you can find record of this. :) This was indeed written by her.

[@mrillis9259]

This makes more sense, than secretly exposing himself somehow with out anyone else being effected.

[@diegoxavier9107]

@@mrillis9259 She does make a flawed argument, though. It's possible that he, while heavily intoxicated, would do something he ordinarily would never do

[@MozTS]

Sounds like a skill issue

[@superslimanoniem4712]

I'd say that the guy who reported the theft might've been looking for some tool he left in the truck?

[@rhodes3983]

That is the worst way to go out I can imagine. You probably couldn't even begin to comprehend the pain he was in

[@Frizzle8484]

I went through radiography school to do that job and they told us these stories as a warning about safe handling. It's kinda scary stuff when you are hands on with it, when a miscalculation can be deadly. There wasn't a lot of security around the source either, just a box on the back of a truck with a padlock.

[@andrasbiro3007]

Nuclear security is strange. In energy related things safety and security are taken extremely seriously. Anywhere else nuclear materials are handled like it's no big deal. Even nuclear weapons are often handled carelessly. The reason is likely that nuclear energy is a huge threat to the fossil fuel industry, so they use their considerable political power to strangle it, and radiation safety is an easy attack vector.

[@robynstopped]

Losing your entire leg from just a sliver of radioactive material? Thats terrifying!

[@abyssalnightmare551]

The worst part of this is that a lot of people who survive a suicide attempt report that they immediately regretted it as soon as they realized what they'd done, the one that sticks with me is an interview with a man who was one of the few people to ever survive jumping from the golden gate bridge. I wonder if he ever regretted how he chose to kill himself as he lay dying in that hospital...

[@Acre00]

Half-life histories are some of my favorite videos on KZbin. I've watched all of them multiple times, and a new one is an immediate click. As for this one, I cannot imagine what would make a man commit suicide in such a horrific, torturous way. I have had suicidal episodes in the past, but I studied how to make it as quick and painless as possible. Death by relatively moderate radiation exposure - not enough to kill quickly, but enough to ensure that you absolutely will die - seems like the absolute worst way I can imagine

[@LexYeen]

Yeah, that's what stuck out to me too. He needed help, evident in the repeated prior attempts, and never got it.

[@deltab9768]

I mean, he tried to burn himself with gasoline and a match too. It seems he wanted to cause suffering?

[@zerberus_ms]

This series is incredible. Can't wait for the next one, as always. I knew next to nothing about the nuclear power prior to this series, and am very thankful for the knowledge.

[@GeneSavage]

What a tragic tale. This happened in my hometown of Tulsa. I was 11 at the time, so I completely missed it... apparently I was too wrapped up in toys or girls or top 40 radio to care. I assume my parents knew. So sad.

[@Shparky]

As someone who had suffered with anxiety and depression, and nearly drove headfirst into substance abuse, I feel only sadness and regret that he wasn't able to get the help he needed. When your worldview is distorted by severe mental health issues, it can be really hard to effectively seek help. Stay safe out there, and remember that even if you don't think it's the case, there are people out there who love you and want to support you.

[@cruzerro3451]

What scares me about radiation and nuclear stuff is for some reason everyone describes the light given off as beautiful I don’t know why but that kinda creeps me out

[@drewsandersmedia]

These half-life histories are my favorite thing you do! I love the reverence you treat these stories with and the tone you achieve. I’ve learned so much while also being entertained and moved. Thank you.

[@harrietharlow9929]

This is the first time I have heard of this gentleman. What an awful, agonising way to die! I am learning so much watching your videos, Kyle. Thank you for all your uploads.

[@woodlandcreaturefeature2832]

Eerie- my dad worked at these hospitals. Not at the time that Crowfut was there, but I'm very familiar with the history of the hospitals and local history in general and I have never heard of Mr. Crowfut before now. Excellent video!

[@wish_aep]

2:59 that dodge lookin good

[@alaozarmg459]

At my lowest points, i'd always thought about losing my life to something weird like radiation or exposure, because in my mind the "how would it feel" curiosity has always existed, so i kinda understand this man

[@a.harrispoems2738]

An interesting book idea: Murder mystery. Man wakes up with discomfort in his chest. Goes to hospital, has radiation poisoning. Spends the book, slowly becoming sicker and sicker, trying to find out who has killed him.

[@filonin2]

It was obviously the nearby radiographer the "found" the source. Shouldn't have fucked his wife.

[@orvilpym]

There was a 1950 film noir called "Dead on Arrival" (or "D.O.A."), remade in 1969 (as "Color Me Dead"), 1988 (with Denis Quaid as the main character) and 2017, with this plot idea: A man staggers into a police station and reports his own murder. In flashbacks he tells his story, how two days ago he was diagnosed as having been fatally poisoned with irridium. There is no way for his life to be saved, but he spends his remaining time trying to solve the mystery of who killed him and why. (The film apparently also was the inspiration for the 2006 Jason Stratham movie "Crank", though there they replace the irridium with some fictitious poison that prevents the production of adrenalin and unlike in "D.O.A." in the end Stratham's character doesn't actually die.) The plot is in the public domain, since the producers of the original 1950s film failed to properly register the copyright, so anyone can use it.

[@a.harrispoems2738]

@@orvilpym Oh wow, that’s really cool! Thanks for letting me know! There’s something really compelling for me about the idea of fighting against the clock to find your own murderer while, the whole time, your fate is already sealed. I don’t have a book like that in me though - I just write poems for kids!

[@GnarlyRabbit92]

@@orvilpym dead ops arcade lol

[@ngsomeguy]

I have a theory. Crofut, in a drunken, state became curious. His morbid curiosity of how it feels to be irradiated combined with so much going wrong with his life led him to stop caring for his own safety. Much like the depressed teen who wonders who would care enough to show up if they were hurt, he wanted to know the feeling of irradiation and who would care. I will guess that the person he wanted to appear did not, so he did not talk about how it happened, and took it to his grave.

[@Plutoniumcontrolrod]

The anguish a man must have gone through to reach the point where he would give himself one of the worst and most painful deaths possible. Tragic

[@newtagwhodis4535]

I’m blown away by the care and respect put into all of your documentaries! Just amazing. Thank you.

[@bruhmoment3741]

My theory is: he got drunk, stole the capsule, exposed himself to the radiation and then put it back into the container, after that placing it on a fellow radiographers doorstep. When he woke up, he didn’t know what he did last night, hence why he denied being exposed.

[@arturomacor3615]

Another great entry into the Half-Life Stories series. This one is particularly macabre given Crofut’s circumstances.

[@obotowski]

Banger video inbound. Love getting that Kyle Hill notification

[@The_Viscount]

First, let me say that I have nothing but compassion for this man. He clearly suffered an immense amount of emotional pain, and needed help. What follows is simply my attempt to shed insight into his potential mental state using my knowledge of standard and abnormal psychology. Additionally, I have personal experience interviewing people in mental hospitals and have lived with mental illness myself. While some may be unsettled by these conclusions, please keep in mind that what I'm saying is not meant to judge anyone's choices or experiences. I'm simply stating my own observations and interpretation. There are many, far easier ways to kill oneself. Slit the wrists and bleed out in a tub to fade away, take way too many pain killers, fall off a roof onto one's head and snap the neck. All these methods are quick and, relatively, painless. If a person is contemplating suicide frequently, they are often aware of the many and myriad ways they could do so. If the goal of a person is to end their pain, they typically seek the method that will end themselves with the least pain. Self inflicted gunshot and pills are two of the most common methods of suicide for that reason. However, for a person to attempt suicide by self immolation or radiation exposure, there needs to be another motivator besides simply ending a painful existence. In cases where the person in question chooses a slow, painful method of death, they often believe they deserve punishment for some sin real or imagined. It would not surprise me if part of the mental illness afflicting this man was a form of shame and self loathing for which a quick death would be "too good for me." It's even possible that he's telling the truth when he says he didn't remember doing anything of the sort. Dissociative identity disorder isn't the only form of trauma that can compartmentalize memories to different sections of the brain. This is often seen in parents who hit their children and then claim no memory of doing so. Their brains suppress the memory or the act is carried out by a part of them they aren't aware exists.

[@miglek9613]

Also, alcohol can just mess one's memory up and I can definitely see someone get blackout drunk in order to carry out something like this. Also, considering he was already an alcoholic it's likely he either was already drunk at the time or the drinking could have destroyed his long term memory

[@flygirl6048]

DID doesn't exist but i agree with you otherwise.

[@Ozzianman]

​@@flygirl6048 DID does exist.

[@bbekah]

Seriously. This man's life had to be traumatic in some way for him to choose this painful of a death. This is coming from someone who has struggled with mental health for over 10 years.

[@PartanBree]

What a sad story. It's hard to imagine anyone choosing this way to go, but the fact he had attempted it before, and the gasoline story, is compelling evidence. He obviously had something very bad going on with him, so sad. As another commenter said, he went to some effort to make sure nobody else would be harmed. May he rest in peace.

[@tejasvasishta3045]

You have a serious yet calming voice. perfect for these kinds of vids. even your story telling skills (production and everything) is so captivating! I am binging all of ur Half-Life playlist and enjoying every single vid i have watched!

[@carpemkarzi]

Man that’s a tough way to go. This guy needed help and sadly found release in the worse way possible.

[@torimig2151]

I think he swallows the palits then he took the capsule and then took the rod

[@commodorezelda]

Dude was seen trying to set himself on fire and no one got him any help? I feel like he could have been placed in psychiatric care for his own safety at that point. It's sad that so many people knew about his self destructive behavior and yet he was on his own.

[@filonin2]

This is America. We don't help our mentally ill; we let them commit suicide or live on the streets.

[@NixodCreations]

Taking mental health seriously is a pretty recent thing

[@statisticserinokripperino]

Exactly, I was surprised that nobody ever gave a damn about helping the man. Odds are, Douglas had suffered some insane depression and self-hatred that, as the story implies, virtually nobody tried to address. It's very sad. In many ways I am glad he had no longer experienced any of this real life torture he would get on an unknown length, scale, and basis.

[@rangagump5591]

@@statisticserinokripperino getting people help in these cases is a relatively new thing, back then you'd probably just be told to get over it.

[@statisticserinokripperino]

@@rangagump5591 yeah, you are right on that one. I've seen many adults claim that the new generation is too soft and that nobody had any mental problems in their prime, yet once you direct them to a psychologist or whatever suddenly so many problems arise seemingly out of nowhere.

[@amarug]

"He died of radiation poisoning but no one knew where he got it from" 10 seconds later: "he worked with pellets that were a strong gamma-ray source" ..alright, lets see where the "mystery" comes back into play 😅

[@marekmorrill8954]

@♜ Pinned by Kyle Hill lol fake kyle hill advertising

[@DarthAxolotl]

Gamma isn't very ionising, bassically non at all. To summarise its not very dangerous

[@DarthAxolotl]

@Vulpeus System yes, a type of electromagnetic wave. On the same spectrum as microwaves and visible light. And compared to beta (electrons) and alpha (helium nuclei) it is relatively safe. Damage by radiation is caused by ionising atoms in your cells and gamma isnt very good at that at all.

[@Totalinternalreflection]

@@DarthAxolotl lol gamma is the most dangerous radiation, what are you on?

[@DarthAxolotl]

@@Totalinternalreflection are you mixing up penetrative and ionising? Alpha is by far the most ionising but is stoped by a couple inches of air or paper. Gamma isn't very ionising at all but needs feet of concrete or inches of lead to stop.

[@StrangerBoar]

Rest in peace man. Things not always gone well, not all stories have a positive ending. But at least we all have a chance to find a peace

[@zacharyjones2273]

I suffered from addiction all my life (in recovery now for 8 years) even though it is incredibly difficult to believe a man would out himself through this kind of torture, this can be the horrible reality of addiction and mental illness. The desperation and self loathing one goes through during this time is hard to explain if you've never battled through it. I wept for this man literally. It hit me so hard that this man like myself at one time saw no value in his life.....saw no reason not to torture himself in an unspeakable manner......

[@brandonhill2183]

Would love a half life history about the Japanese scientist Hisashi Ouchi case. The way he was treated after exposure is frightening

[@Flumphinator]

I think he actually did a video about that!

[@brandonhill2183]

@@Flumphinator not in half life histories

[@delilahevers4668]

iirc Hisashi Ouchi was not a scientist, but a floor labourer in a factory that manufactured and irradiated fuel rods. he knew close to nothing about the scientific process beyond "combining this, this and this makes the end product". when he was hospitalized (reminder; this was after the nuclear source for the fuel rods he was working to manufacture went prompt critical) he thought the worst that would happen to him was leukemia according to a nurse that treated him. also, because people have a misconception about his medical treatment, i am inclined to point out he wasnt just kept alive to be experimented on by the japanese government; his family would not sign a Do Not Resuscitate order and the doctors had to, by law, do everything they could to keep him alive, which caused them to begin experimental treatments. he (and his sister, given she was the stem cell donor) ended up helping prove stem cell chromosomal resequencing, which was just a theory at the time, but dear gods at what cost. absolutely brutal what happened to him. and it wasnt an accident. management murdered him. they had their employees- working skeleton crews- acting outside of legal guidelines for the manufacture of fuel rods and then directed them to act even further outside of those guidelines without informing them of the risks. he thought after a supercriticalilty accident he would only get *cancer* and his body *decayed* while he was still alive in the following 83 days. that wasnt negligent manslaughter, it was a slow and torturous murder. im honestly not sure what happened to them but i hope they received capital punishment.

[@brandonhill2183]

@@delilahevers4668 I'll wait for the half life history. Thanks

[@chilliecheesecake]

The Japanese have a uniquely low regard for human life and dignity

[@joshmellon390]

Excellent work Kyle. I love this series.

[@swagnut9864]

I'm oh so very excited to see this news video Kyle has put out. Didn't even watch the video get but I already know it's going to be great.

[@margotrosendorn6371]

It's possible that he DID intentionally expose himself, but didn't remember due to being drunk at the time.

[@Lithiumvixen]

What a sad story. The man wanted to die. I wonder if he hated himself and wanted to choose the most miserable death. I wonder if he was punishing himself, or trying to die in a way that was, initially, painless. Poor guy.

[@bananabob6398]

Love these stories, they are incredibly interesting. Kyles documentary style is second to none.

[@johnanderson02]

Thanks for this Kyle!! Can we look at the Damascus, KS Titan II accident?

[@misdemeanor7083]

you have to be in indescribable emotional pain to want to purposefully irradiate or set fire to yourself. This is so heartbreaking.

[@empireoflizards]

The only thing for me that might make sense out of all this is if he had a life insurance policy for someone. A suicide would void it but an 'accident' or implied 'murder' might still be valid in his mind.

[@EdgarClay]

I can only assume by the title; radiation is actually a sentient thing and can choose to merc whomever it desires

[@j_g_t6091]

Great work Kyle!