Jonty WareingTo be clear, when we said "leave your unwanted junk in the swap shop" we did not mean radioactive material #emfcamp
"First camping festival with an orphan source event" is not a record I particularly wanted, but it is very on brand
Mex@jonty how spicy was/is this source?
@Mexicals Mild, but we would prefer that people that don't know something is radioactive don't tear apart the interesting spicy junk
maya 
now at catgirl.globalTryst ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ :ms_asexual_flag: :ms_cat_grin: (@[email protected])
@[email protected] @[email protected] 7 uCi (~360,000 Bq) of Americium 241. No idea where they came from or what they are. I just bagged them and locked them away.
Tim Cowlishaw
phryk ๐ด@mistertim @jonty was just about to fire up inkscape to make this with the drake template. ๐
Tina Stormcaller@jonty Iโll look forward to the Plainly Difficult youtube video on it. I suppose at least it goes with the geiger counter someone got in 2022
Cthulku has movedI've been trying to piece this together from posts alluding to what's happening. Someone brought a bunch of (presumably low-activity or even completely decayed and sealed) sources to a public event, and just left them in the swap shop? Any idea idea of how hot they are, what isotope they are?
@jonty NVM, I found the info. Americium 241, and likely hotter than one might think. Thankfully, it's mostly alpha emitter, with fairly low gamma emission, so as long as it stays contained, it's safe.
Jonas Trostle@jonty I've heard of orphaned projects before, but this is ridiculous
Mars Robertson ๐
Graham Sutherland / Polynomial@jonty train stations have an unattended bag policy, I suspect EMF is about to have an unattended orphaned source policy.
@gsuberland All sources under the age of 30 must be accompanied by an adult
Blake@jonty The what nowโฆ
@gsuberland @jonty Oh my, thatโs kind of crazy! I hope the one that is missing gets found soon! That or itโs a decay scavenger hunt (well hopefully it is sealed).
Russ Garrett@gsuberland @blake @jonty we have recovered two but we don't know if there were any more. They are safe unless disassembled but they look quite old so we would like to dispose of them responsibly.
Sylvhem@gsuberland Pfew. Thanks the gods, because it would have bee a disaster otherwise.
Anke@Sylvhem
here's the short thread by the person who raised the alarm. key info: device contains Americium 241, not dangerous if intact, but dangerous if disassembled.
https://meow.social/@tryst/112547040034336222
here's the short thread by the person who raised the alarm. key info: device contains Americium 241, not dangerous if intact, but dangerous if disassembled.
https://meow.social/@tryst/112547040034336222
Tryst ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ :ms_asexual_flag: :ms_cat_grin: (@[email protected])
@[email protected] Someone left at least two of these in the swap shop and they contain Americium 241. They're not immediately dangerous (depending on the condition of the sources inside), but are dangerous if disassembled. Edit: I have two of them that I've sealed in plastic bags and locked up in the back of my truck. Next week I'll investigate if we have a waste stream at work that I can put them into. I work in civil nuclear.
@Anke Thanks!
Lori Williams@Sylvhem @gsuberland @blake @jonty it is currently unknown how many of them were beyond the 2 that were discovered and may still have been randomly picked up and still out there.
Electromagnetic Field CTF Team@jonty This feels like a 2026 scavenger hunt item.
Steven Reed
Henning Paul DC4HP@jonty precise wording is essential
Mans R@jonty That's bananas.
CatButtes@jonty who gets the joy of filling out the paperwork for this one? It feels like there might be more than a little on somebodyโs desk!
Sharrow_irl
S T E L L A R 
@jonty you know who else has unwanted junk? me โ
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refraction 
punIssuer@jonty re "leave your unwanted junk":
Insert gender reassignment surgery joke here
Insert gender reassignment surgery joke here
srslypascal@jonty Has Big Clive been shopping too much on AliExpress again? ๐คจ
Andy Piper@jonty at least the instructions will be more detailed and clear in 2026โฆ
JamesB@andypiper @jonty Biological sources in 2026 then?
@andypiper @jonty The next worldwide pandemic started in a field near Ledbury in 2026...