Nevermore Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 My great-great grand parents had a glowing green rock in their basement, and they got cancer. What do you think this rock is, besides radioactive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 1`st guess would be a Nickel or Copper salt, and the cancer incidental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilded Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 It is indeed hard to find an ore sample radioactive enough to cause cancer through the basement walls. If the rock was actually green (not just the glow), it could've been torbernite (which can easily reach over 100 000 CPM), but I'd still find it hard to believe that it could cause cancer, except in a very long period while constantly being near it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muhali3 Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 Phosphorus maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 I seriously doubt your grandparents have a rock radioactive enough to glow in their basement. Have you seen it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 There is an overwhelming presence of new members with no intellectuall posts at all, spewing nothing but IM/l33t while contributing nothing to this site. What can we do about this? My great-great grand parents had a glowing green rock in their basement, and they got cancer. What do you think this rock is, besides radioactive? Kryptonite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilded Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 Hehe good one Ophie. And speaking of which, do you have collegues studying extra terrestrial rocks (on Earth of course ), or have you done such research yourself? "Phosphorus maybe?" White phosphorous does indeed "glow", and rather brightly too, but that's just it reacting with oxygen. It would react and be consumed rather quickly even deep beneath the Earth, not to mention the event when it's dug up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 "Phosphorus maybe?" White phosphorous does indeed "glow"' date=' and rather brightly too, but that's just it reacting with oxygen. It would react and be consumed rather quickly even deep beneath the Earth, not to mention the event when it's dug up.[/quote'] or the Garlic like stench it gives off during this reaction. I am however curious that even though it was a long time past, Autopsies were still done where possible, and so this "Rock" would have been mentioned somewhere along the line or implicated. after all, YOU know about it! so why wouldn`t They? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted March 23, 2005 Author Share Posted March 23, 2005 I seriously doubt your grandparents have a rock radioactive enough to glow in their basement. Have you seen it? great great grandparents. and no, I have not seen it, it is long gone. However, it did indeed glow bright green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 I feel I must ask. HOW did you come about this story? it obviously wasn`t from the home owners, and has evidently been passed down for several generations (accuracy may be questionable as a result). I`m perfectly happy to go with my 1`st opinion, after hearing more and having time to think of alternatives, I`ll stick with post #2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 And speaking of which, do you have collegues studying extra terrestrial rocks (on Earth of course ), or have you done such research yourself?Regretably no. Though formally educated in geology it was so long ago that I have to consider myself formerly educated in geology. Ironically, my work revolves around finding the most efficient ways to destroy rocks, so we can get to the oil. Curiously, if I survive to retirement I am contemplating a return to University to study some aspect of planetology, to demonstrate to myself that old brains can still function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted March 23, 2005 Author Share Posted March 23, 2005 I feel I must ask. HOW did you come about this story? it obviously wasn`t from the home owners' date=' and has evidently been passed down for several generations (accuracy may be questionable as a result). I`m perfectly happy to go with my 1`st opinion, after hearing more and having time to think of alternatives, I`ll stick with post #2 [/quote'] My mother brought it up during dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 She shouldn't have eaten it then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 ROFLMAO ) NOW We`re getting to some Truth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coquina Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Radium??? http://www.chemmybear.com/images/radium.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olmpiad Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Radium I do not think that his/her grandparents would have any radium. Was it a gag (a glow-in-the-dark plastic or zinc-sulfide painted rock?)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rakuenso Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 rofl you have to be insane to just have radium lying around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmalluck Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 Radium itself doesn't glow without the aid of Phosphorus. If the rock itself was radioactive and glowing, they wouldn't have to worry about cancer. They would have died from radiation poisoning long before cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane_alien Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 Sure it wasn't just painted such a bright green that it appeared to be glowing. My friends got a T-shirt that is some kind of lime colour and seems to almost glow but its really just reflection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted August 7, 2005 Author Share Posted August 7, 2005 Sure it wasn't just painted such a bright green that it appeared to be glowing. My friends got a T-shirt that is some kind of lime colour and seems to almost glow but its really just reflection. Positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautyundone Posted August 7, 2005 Share Posted August 7, 2005 did your mother actually see it? if she didn't, it could have been a little story your grandparents told her just joking around. and it may not have been related to their death at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 She saw it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmalluck Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Again, if the rock was radioactive enough to emit visiable light, your grandparents would have been dead in pretty quick fasion. Your not going to get cancer a few years later from it. You're going to die in a matter of days, mostly from radiation burns. Also a rock that radioactive will also be very hot to the touch, if not hot enough to burn through things like wood and the like. Was there any mention of anything like that? I seriously doubt the rock in question was a 'hollywood-style' glowing radioactive rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 2XL Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 If the rock was actually green (not just the glow), it could've been torbernite (which can easily reach over 100 000 CPM), but I'd still find it hard to believe that it could cause cancer, except in a very long period while constantly being near it. Could also have been Autunite (hydrated calcium uranyl phosphate),a yellow - greenish fluorescent mineral, it will glow in the dark for a while after soaking up some light. Varnished samples were popular mineral specimens at the turn of the century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 It was not very hot, i'd imagine, because my family often sat on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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