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laserwanabe said:I would love to get a couple of these marbles but after reading briefly, now I'm iffy about them.
Hello All,
There's nothing to be scared of here. The alpha particles emitted by the uranium oxide are for the most part reabsorbed by the glass. The few that escape are absorbed by pretty much any matter they contact. (A piece of typing paper will block alpha particles. The reason they are considered 'mostly-harmless' is that when they hit skin, they are absorbed immediately by the epidermis which is already-dead tissue. The alpha particles simply don't make it to living cells. Get it? )
So short answer- they aren't dangerous. You get more radiation flying. (And it's more dangerous beta particles...)
Long Answer- If you're paranoid, don't tape them to your testicles or swallow them... (the marbles of course )
cheers,
kernelpanic
p.s. I do find it a little amusing that a bunch of people who play with hi-powered lasers for fun (many without goggles) are worried about vaseline glass... ;D