From: Philip St. George, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — Tracy Hunter got more than what she expected when she went shopping at the Treasure Hunt on Sunday.
The mother of three and long-time resident visited the store to “pick up some little things” when she found what she thought was a “neat looking paperweight.”
That “paperweight” was a 2.1 pound block of Uranium-235 categorized as “Housewares.”
“I also found some new shoes and got a really good deal on these kid’s toys, but the raw uranium takes the cake.”
Located in the North Bay Mall, the Treasure Hunt deals in selling goods left over from store closeouts, overstocks, bankruptcies, and customer returns.
How over two pounds of raw Uranium-235 found its way onto the shelves is a mystery.
“I don’t know,” says manager Libby Bissett. “Must have been returned to another store or something.”
“Anyways, are you buying anything?”
“About $50”
While the NRCC is investigating the incident, Tracy Hunter says she still has the unrefined uranium chunk.
What’s more, she says she’s very pleased with her stop at Treasure Hunt.
“All in all I spent about $50. I think most of it was for the shoes. I’m guessing the uranium was about five dollars.”
“I just thought it was something to throw on my desk at work but now they’re telling me its got a 700 million year half-life and can be used to build atomic bombs.”
Tracy says she doesn’t want to give back the uranium unless she “absolutely has to.”
“It’s pretty useful. I’m using it as a door stop.”
You can use it as a door stop until you are diagnosed with genaralized cancer and have 1 week to live 😀
likely not, its unrefined, it will primarily release alpha, and some low level gamma particals. so unless she eats it she should be safe