Talk:Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory

Honey, let's get the kids a toy!
I personally am amazed that any parent would buy this sort of thing for their kids. . . "no honey, the package says it's non toxic if Johnny swallows it". Nowadays the worry would be that terrorists would steal the ore and maybe make bombs. . . ah, how times have changed.RSido 21:55, 15 January 2007 (UTC)


 * However, the amount of radioactive material in this toy is miniscule and can't be used to make a bomb. But, yes, the knee-jerk reaction today is "radioactive" = "bad...bad...Bad...BAD!!!!" :) Cburnett 22:03, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

The amount of radioactivity in the potassium in a 90kg person is higher than that which the lab had. Uranium 238 is only dangerous if in finely powdered form and inhaled. You can safely swallow a pellet of uranium 238-bearing ore; it just passes through. Ore is not processed. Oh what the hell. It is radiation and radiation is bad. Grant McKenna 02:46, 16 January 2007 (UTC)


 * On that note, can that be referenced and worked into the article? Cburnett 03:24, 16 January 2007 (UTC)


 * At the A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon, it states that the toy was banned for the parental concerns about the radiation. So, shouldn't we state that on the page? Armiris (talk) 18:21, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Here's a photo of this toy http://smishno.com/images/articles/20080314031914996_1.jpg 77.121.218.137 (talk) 07:55, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Don't think it included the catalogue...
"1951 Gilbert Toys catalog"

The list of parts that the kit includes appears to be copied from here:

http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=31568

Where they state that they throw in the 1951 catalogue as an extra bonus. I don't think the original kit included the catalogue. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Moeburn (talk • contribs) 03:09, 2 March 2009 (UTC)


 * The Gilbert company routinely included a catalog of all their products with each kit. I remember seeing their catalog describing the Atomic Energy Lab kit among others, included with my Erector Set, even though I received it long after the product was discontinued. The AEL kit remained an elusive unicorn; I never saw one on display anywhere. Reify-tech (talk) 17:05, 26 January 2017 (UTC)


 * This article is tragically short. Someone get a reactionary newspaper talking about it so there are current references. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.224.98.35 (talk) 15:35, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

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Was it bad?
I'm surprised there is no section speaking as to how much radiation it put out over time and what effects it could have had on a child that kept it in their room for several years. Remarks throughout the article that it was "bad" really don't speak much to bad it was. StarHOG (Talk) 14:17, 7 March 2019 (UTC)