If that bag is about the same size as her head, which for girls averages ~50 cm circumference, then there’s about 2 litres of uranium there. Uranium’s density is 19g / cm3, so that’s about a 40 kg bag she’s lifting in one hand. Strong girl!
We can also determine that that’s a bag of U-235, because the critical mass of U-233 is only 15 kg, and she’d be in the middle of a mushroom cloud otherwise.
I’m not sure how context could improve this one.
It doesn’t, the rest of the story is not nearly as remarkable as the fact she is casually given an orphan source. Nobody gets heavy metal poisoning or cancer.
The irony is that she lives in a world where absolutely everything but that sack is slathered in lead-based paint!
And asbestos underneath it.
The comic implies that this is naturally-occurring uranium, which is a very weak source. Its main danger is heavy metal poisoning, just like lead.
I found a red “DANGER ☢️ HARMFUL RADIATION” sack made of thin cloth in the attic. Contains sewing supplies. I don’t have a Geiger counter, should I be worried?
That depends. Do you now have trouble sleeping at night because of the glow you’re emanating?
Yes but the bag was next to circa 1980s welding rods which I couldn’t help but eat so it might have been the thorium. I can’t take a good photo, it’s all grainy and somehow gets worse with longer exposure.
Heh – there is a smartphone app called GammaPix that claims to be able to detect gamma radiation via your phone’s camera, but the reviews are mixed. Still, it’s cheaper than buying a Geiger counter!
Old GM tubes are cheap and the electronics are easy enough to make for me. I’d do it if I was actually worried. The noise in the photo is fake but that would be a ridiculous amount.
Cool! (I couldn’t tell a circuit diagram from a Circuit City, so I’m stuck paying retail for things like that!)
These sound like lyrics from the Fallout series soundtracks.
How wholesome! Every orphan source needs a loving home!
