The Disappearing Spoon Ch. 9

Summary

Some cells and proteins in a living creature are very delicate under certain conditions. Some chemicals cause a lot of harm to living organisms and sometimes the life-giving minerals take away lives. Cadmium being the lightest chemical was found in mines and caused harm to miners. Now it is very important for the coating of batteries. Cadmium caused the “ouch-ouch” disease and all due to its dumping on the streams which led to the rice fields. Noboru Hagino studying the disease found that rice turned out to be a Cadmium sponge. The health administrator of Japan accepted Hagino’s overwhelming claims and assisted those infected victims.

Mercury sitting below Cadmium is a neurotoxin, and next to it follow Thallium, Lead, and Polonium, with the same ability to poison. Thallium is considered the deadliest element in the periodic table. It destroys the body inside out. This poison can last for a very long time. Element eighty-two, Bismuth is pinkish, creates a blue flame, and emits yellow fumes. It is only of the rare elements that expands when they freeze. It can create hopper crystals has helped scientists understand the deeper structure of radioactive matter to see how long elements can last. It is not even that harmful since it is sometimes medicinal. Polonium is a poison of the nuclear age that makes one’s hair fall out. Radon follows and even though it is an odorless unreactive noble gas, it replaces air and when it gets to the lungs it discharges lethal particles that in most cases cause lung cancer.

David Hahn was a person who became intrigued with chemistry and who would do experiments and research to stop the reliability on oil. Faking his identity, he learned about fusion, fission and radioactive decay.  He did a lot of radioactive experiments that have poisoned him. He wanted to do great things, but never got the chance to get to a proper and controlled laboratory.

Reflection

I found it terrifying how Cadmium took so many victims causing a great disaster. It is very funny how in the Godzilla films, they used this element to kill Godzilla.  I found it shocking how if Potassium and Sodium were in their pure form, they would make our body explode. It is sad how many people use these elements for bad rather than good, like Graham Frederick Young that poisoned his family and seventy more people, killing three, but prolonging the suffering of the rest. It is scary to learn that scientists are trying to figure out when will matter will disintegrate, maybe thinking of doom day from a chemical point of view. Pepto-Bismol is made of Bismuth, that would explain the pink color. The experiments of Hahn were very dangerous but his purpose to mean right was funny because of the outcomes just as the orange skin. He in my opinion was a very cool person who pursued his dreams, but did not did it correctly and the outcomes were radiation. His attempts, experiments and even the ways he attained certain materials were very humorous in my personal opinion.