Wait.... radioactive fossils??

[AmateurArtifacts]

Hello everyone,

 

So I recently became serious about my collecting, but have had a few fossils for years now. I keep them in my room in an open bag (for now). My room is small and I usually have the door closed. I just learned some fossils could have uranium which could produce radon gas as it decays. Being someone who is paranoid about everything connected to the big 'C' word, I was wondering if my small collection poses any health risk. I have two fossilized shark teeth, two amber specimens, an alleged dinosaur bone fragment, a trilobite, an ammonite, a cephalopod, a mammoth tusk shard, a dino eggshell piece, and some non-fossil artifacts. It's a very small collection in a very small bag. But...being quite paranoid due to my father passing from cancer (he smoked A LOT) I became kind of scared and it actually made me want to stop collecting fossils altogether and just focus on artifacts. Anyone know anything about the safety of collecting? 

 

[FossilDudeCO]

Nope, you are all good.

It isn't enough radiation in any fossil to harm you.

 

I work at a Dinosaur Museum where we do tours to the quarry and a Geiger counter is a common thing for us to take up. It barely registers, but it is there and people find it fun.

 

I even lick them to show people it is safe.

[Ramon]

Fossils are completely safe to handle and everything.

[Darktooth]

A few years ago, a gentleman spoke at our local gem  and mineral  club on the topic of radioactivity in objects. What I learned is that there is a level of radioactive properties in most everyday things you come into contact with. It is the high levels that you need to worry about. I would say that as long as you are not collecting fossils near a nuclear power plant you probably don't have anything to qorry about. But then again many people collect at flag ponds nature park in Maryland. And the power plant can be seen from the beach maybe a half mile away. I haven't heard anything about that. Bottom line is I wouldn't fret over it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Darktooth]

9 minutes ago, FossilDudeCO said:

Nope, you are all good.

It isn't enough radiation in any fossil to harm you.

 

I work at a Dinosaur Museum where we do tours to the quarry and a Geiger counter is a common thing for us to take up. It barely registers, but it is there and people find it fun.

 

I even lick them to show people it is safe.

Seriously ? You actually lick them ?

[FossilDudeCO]

Just now, darctooth said:

Seriously ? You actually lick them ?

 

Sure, why not.

you can really feel the porosity of the bones that way.

It kind of sticks to your tongue and gives a little pop.

 

and Yes, even after the 250,000 visitors a year come through, I still lick them.

 

Not even close to the worst thing I have licked / put in my mouth.

[AmateurArtifacts]

Thanks for the replies. I do remember reading that it was the dust that was the main problem. I'll try not to worry so much. If  I grow a third arm I'll let you know hahaha kidding. 

[DevonianDigger]

18 minutes ago, FossilDudeCO said:

 

Not even close to the worst thing I have licked / put in my mouth.

 

Lol. I love this forum.

[LordTrilobite]

Licking bone is actually a pretty common practice to check if something is bone or just rock.

[snolly50]

I am sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad. Your fossils do not pose any danger to you. There is one issue with a potentially dire outcome; but fortunately, it is entirely under your control. Don't ever smoke.

 

Have fun, the world is entirely too miraculous to spend time worrying about bugbears not under our control. Your attention (and that of everyone else) is more productively expended on enjoying the wonder around us.  

[Darktooth]

50 minutes ago, FossilDudeCO said:

 

Sure, why not.

you can really feel the porosity of the bones that way.

It kind of sticks to your tongue and gives a little pop.

 

and Yes, even after the 250,000 visitors a year come through, I still lick them.

 

Not even close to the worst thing I have licked / put in my mouth.

That's what I call devotion to your job!

[jpc]

It is easy to have a bunch of people tell you that there is nothing to worry about without having seen your fossils, but yes, Morrison Formation bones can be radioactive.  And some are indeed highly radioactive.  If you are worried,it might be good to have them checked with a Geiger counter or scintillometer.  I am not sure how a person does this, but one of my voluteers at the museum where I work actualy as one he  brings n every now and then to check or bones.  

[Al Dente]

Some fossil shark teeth from the Bone Valley region in Florida are radioactive. The phosphate mines they come from have low levels of radiation and are considered hazardous waste sites.

[AmateurArtifacts]

35 minutes ago, jpc said:

It is easy to have a bunch of people tell you that there is nothing to worry about without having seen your fossils, but yes, Morrison Formation bones can be radioactive.  And some are indeed highly radioactive.  If you are worried,it might be good to have them checked with a Geiger counter or scintillometer.  I am not sure how a person does this, but one of my voluteers at the museum where I work actualy as one he  brings n every now and then to check or bones.  

 

Do you take any precautions when handling your specimens?

[FossilDudeCO]

Try the Houston Museum of natural history.

They should have a Geiger counter if you are concerned.

[Oxytropidoceras]

There are a number of posts about radioactive petrified wood and fossil

bone from the Morrison Formation; Bone Valley, Florida, fossils; certain

corpolites; and whale fossils in:

 

Can Fossils Have Higher Than Background Radiation? (2010) at:

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/10665-can-fossils-have-higher-than-background-radiation/

 

and Radioactive Fossils (2012) at:

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/27972-radioactive-fossils/

 

Also, there is:

 

Farmer, N. C., R. L. Kathren, and C. Christensen, 2008,

Radioactivity in fossils at the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. vol. 99, pp. 1355–1359

PDF file at http://fs2.directupload.net/images/150302/wya8dz6p.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X08000337

 

Another example is:

 

Smith, K. G., and D. A. Bradley, 1954. Radioactive fossil bones in

Teton County, Wyoming. The Geological Survey of Wyoming Report

of Investigations No. 4. University of Wyoming, Laramie.

 

Yours,

 

Paul H.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Oxytropidoceras
added reference

[jpc]

2 minutes ago, AmateurArtifacts said:

 

Do you take any precautions when handling your specimens?

No, they have small amounts of radioactivity but nothing to worry about.  I do not understand radiation,  my volunteer who has the scintillometer was the safety officer at the local uranium mine in the 70's through 90's.  I trust his judgement on these things.  

[snolly50]

Yes, much of the world is radioactive. (snolly was horrified to learn beer emits 390 picocuries per kilogram)! Here is an interesting web site (there are many that address this issue);

 

https://www.mirion.com/introduction-to-radiation-safety/naturally-occurring-radiation-norm

 

If you are the smallest bit concerned about the fossils you own, please follow the suggestions to have them evaluated. If a concern is blocking your enjoyment, then it is certainly wise to address it with facts.

 

 

 

 

[Bone Daddy]

Agree with the above comments. You get a higher dose of radiation from walking out to the mailbox during daylight than you will get from a box full of fossils.

 

I am sorry about your Dad. Mine died from lung cancer and the Big-C runs in my family.  

 

[AmateurArtifacts]

Thanks again for the responses everyone. I am going to a local fossil trade show later this month. It will be in a gem and mineral building so there will hopefully be someone I can show my fossils to.

[FossilDudeCO]

@jpc is correct though.

Morrison formation bones can have high levels of radiation, we should ask for pictures before we jump to conclusions.

From your description it doesn't sound like you have an entire femur or anything of the sort, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

 

It is a totally non-invasive process though. They just wave the Geiger counter or scintillometer over your fossil, it will probably take longer to unpack and set up the equipment!

 

Hopefully your bones will do no harm!

 

[Max-fossils]

Sorry about your dad, the mom of my best friend died because of the C too...

But she certainly didn't die because of fossils! And if fossils were radioactive (at a dangerous level), then I would probably have 5 eyes by now!

I collect fossils since a few years now, and they all rest in my room, where I sleep and all. Yet nothing has happened to me (yet ).

 

What I recommend is for you to go to the nearest museum (in your case the Houston museum) and get them checked by a Geiger counter, as mentioned before.

But with fossils (or artifacts), I don't think you have anything to fear!

What can be more hazardous though is mineral collecting. My mineral collection is rather small, but my grandpa, who collects them extensively, has a huge collection. And he does have radioactive material: big chunks of uranium minerals; yes, those are highly radio-active! Luckily he keeps them in a showcase in the hallway, and doesn't take them out. And at 81, he still gardens and carries heavy loads to maintain his huge garden in southern France.

 

So conclusion, nothing to fear! So please continue collecting fossils, because you already have an impressive start!

 

Best regards,

 

Max

[AmateurArtifacts]

10 hours ago, Max-fossils said:

Sorry about your dad, the mom of my best friend died because of the C too...

But she certainly didn't die because of fossils! And if fossils were radioactive (at a dangerous level), then I would probably have 5 eyes by now!

I collect fossils since a few years now, and they all rest in my room, where I sleep and all. Yet nothing has happened to me (yet ).

 

What I recommend is for you to go to the nearest museum (in your case the Houston museum) and get them checked by a Geiger counter, as mentioned before.

But with fossils (or artifacts), I don't think you have anything to fear!

What can be more hazardous though is mineral collecting. My mineral collection is rather small, but my grandpa, who collects them extensively, has a huge collection. And he does have radioactive material: big chunks of uranium minerals; yes, those are highly radio-active! Luckily he keeps them in a showcase in the hallway, and doesn't take them out. And at 81, he still gardens and carries heavy loads to maintain his huge garden in southern France.

 

So conclusion, nothing to fear! So please continue collecting fossils, because you already have an impressive start!

 

Best regards,

 

Max

Thanks, Max! I find happiness in collecting and I didn't want this to scare me off. And your grandpa sounds like someone who's found their peace in life

[tooth_claw]

This reminds me of one of my early fossil excavations- we had spent nearly three weeks in a pit (Pleistocene swamp deposit) unearthing bones when the geochronologist came to take samples...one of the things he told us was that our fossils were radioactive. After a laugh he assured us that we were safe, levels were simply a bit above background.

 

Also, licking fossils is a tried and true way to identify fragments in the field. I have seen Professors wandering around a site tasting bits of the ground looking for bone, it's funny but it works!

[Max-fossils]

9 hours ago, AmateurArtifacts said:

Thanks, Max! I find happiness in collecting and I didn't want this to scare me off. And your grandpa sounds like someone who's found their peace in life

Yup, he found his version of peace: nature's peace, the one and only true one that there is.