[NHCOLL-L:5904] Re: FW: [RCAAM] radioactive minerals

[Jay R. Cordeiro]

Hi, Leslie, Charlie, and Laura.

Why are two malacologists like me messing with radioactive minerals??
Any radioactive shells in the Carnegie or Delaware Museums?  I'd keep
them away from the type specimens!!!

Use lead-lined bags, boxes, or adhesive lead strips
(http://www.imagesco.com/geiger/containers.html)  

I also highly recommend Minerals and Their Localities by J.H. Bernard
(2007- Granit Publishing).  It's a must have for any mineral collection
(warning: not cheap).

Good luck and hope you don't plan on having any more kids.

Your friend and colleague, 

Jay Cordeiro
UMass Boston

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of csturmjr at pitt.edu
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 3:36 PM
To: LSkibinski at delmnh.org
Cc: NH Coll
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5903] Re: FW: [RCAAM] radioactive minerals

I do not have a definitive answer; however, I believe that it depends on
the radiation that is given off.  In an earlier career, while performing
biomedical research, I was working with isotopes that gave off alpha
radiation. The safety department said that the walls of the glass and
plastic vials that I was using would block the radiation and no further
precautions were needed (30 years ago). If the radiation being release
were gamma rays, they have a much greater potential to cause damage to
living organisms. Handling them I would want a lead apron and probably a
lead container.

Guess the first step would be look up what radiation is being given off
and then proceed from there.

You might also want to contact a collection manage at a museum which
houses a mineralogy collection and see what they recommend.

> I am forwarding this for someone on another list serve.  Please reply 
> directly to her.  Her e-mail is laura.gharst at LAKEVIEW-MUSEUM.ORG 
> Thanks.
>
> --Leslie
>
> Leslie L. Skibinski
> Collection Manager of Mollusks
> Delaware Museum of Natural History
> 4840 Kennett Pike
> P.O. Box 3937
> Wilmington, DE  19807
>
> Phone:  (302) 658-9111 ext. 311
> Fax:  (302) 658-2610
> e-mail:  lskibinski at delmnh.org
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Registrars Committee of the AAM 
> [mailto:RCAAM at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU] On Behalf Of Laura
> Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 12:37 PM
> To: RCAAM at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU
> Subject: [RCAAM] radioactive minerals
>
>
> Good morning all,
>
> We have 2 very small radioactive minerals in our collection - autunite

> and carnotite. I seem to be finding conflicting information on proper 
> storage for these - everything from sealed lead containers to poly 
> bags in a box! Can anyone shed some light on this topic?
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> Laura
> Laura Gharst
> Collections Manager
> Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences
> 1125 W. Lake Avenue
> Peoria, IL 61614
> phone:  309-686-7000 ext. 133
> fax:  309-686-0280
> www.lakeview-museum.org
>
>
>
>
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Regards,
Charlie
.................................................
Charlie Sturm

Treasure
American Malacological Society

Research Associate - Section of Mollusks Carnegie Museum of Natural
History Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Associate Professor - Family Medicine
Fellow-American Academy of Family Practice Fellow-Academy of Wilderness
Medicine