Radioactive Attraction: Discovered Uranium Buckets at Grand Canyon Museum

Everyone knows that we must keep away from radioactive substances, right? Imagine the scare that those responsible for the Grand Canyon Museum, a popular attraction in the United States, did not take to discover that someone left uranium buckets inside the building and that thousands of people were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation!

Radioactive attraction

The discovery came entirely by accident - when the son of one of the Grand Canyon staff decided to “play” inside the museum with his Geiger counter, an instrument used to measure ionizing radiation, and the device sounded the alarm. More precisely, the device detected radiation in a room dedicated to stuffed animals, and officials mobilized to check the situation found three containers filled to the top with uranium ore.

(Reproduction / Science Alert / AZ Central / Elston Stephenson)

According to the authorities, one of the containers (a 19 liter bucket) was so full that it didn't even close properly, and the worst thing: the material was there, forgotten in a corner, almost 2 decades ago! This means that all this time tourists, staff, children, and school trips have come close to a dangerous source of radiation - unknowingly.

What's more, the containers were in a place where visitors would usually stop to listen to lectures or watch demonstrations at the museum, so it is estimated that thousands of people have been exposed to radiation. Exposure levels were estimated to be 4000 times higher than considered safe for children and 400 times for adults.

However, it was common for students to hang around during lectures - which could last more than half an hour - so imagine the danger! To get an idea, for adults, less than 30 seconds of dwelling next to the containers would be enough to cause exposure, and in the case of the small ones only 3 seconds would be exposed to radiation.

Complaint

The discovery came in March of last year, but the news was only released now because Park safety officer Elston Stephenson has repeatedly contacted competent authorities, tired of waiting for action, and decided to report the situation by sharing the information. with the press.

According to Stephenson, he was only informed of the uranium containers in June, and they were first moved to another room in the building. Then the contents of the buckets were safely discarded, they say, in an abandoned mine. Incredibly, the radioactive containers were returned to the museum, but were found in November and removed from there.

(Reproduction / CNN)

According to museum officials, radiation levels at the site have already been controlled and returned to normal, so there is no risk to visitors. However, the case is still under investigation, and officials advised officials and members of the public concerned about possible health consequences to seek medical advice.

According to what was found and disclosed, the containers containing the uranium were in the basement of the park's administration headquarters and, for some reason, were taken to the museum when the site opened in 2000. However, no one can tell. where the buckets came from or who was responsible for storing the material in the Grand Canyon.