Behold , the hapless relic of a toxic era ! Its denizen scamper through it , unaware or unable to debar the poisonous substance it give off . earnestly , though , Grand Central Station give you a Cupid’s disease of radiation when you go through it , thanks to the granite used to establish it .
Radiation is a part of the instinctive world , and so things made with natural textile often contain radioactive element . In the case of Grand Central Station , the natural fabric is granite . All natural rock ‘n’ roll contain traces of radioactive elements , but granite hold more than others , and certain specimen of granite contain particularly in high spirits immersion .
To begin with , the granite in Grand Central include feldspar , which contains potassium . In any given supplying of atomic number 19 there is a certain amount of the isotope potassium-40 . The isotope breaks down two different way ; by squeeze out an electron or by capturing an negatron . Of the two , the electron - seizure is more damaging , as it is a process that send out a gamey - vigor gamma re .

Granite is also sprinkle with thorium-232 , which dilapidate by send out an alpha molecule and another da Gamma shaft . An alpha speck is a helium nucleus , two proton and two neutrons . Small and light , it does n’t do much harm unless it is release inside the body .
Which brings us to uranium . Granite does n’t have a lot of uranium overall , but it does have a greater concentration of atomic number 92 than most other natural stones . It can have up to 20 part per million . Some of that uranium is uranium-238 , which decays in stage to radon-222 . Radon decays as well , and quickly . It has a half - living of just under four days , and when it crumble it shoot out an alpha subatomic particle . More significantly , radon is a gas . People nearby it respire it in , and when it decays it sends alpha particles straight into lung tissue paper . The rare cases of non - stag party coming down with lung Crab are often the outcome of vulnerability to radon gas pedal . It ’s probable to be see in basement sunk in granite — or in big granite construction like Grand Central Station .
It ’s worth noting that if Grand Central Station were a nuclear power plant life , it would be shut down for exceeding the maximum permissible annual dose of radiation for employees . That being said , it ’s not actually a serious billet . When you go there , you ’re probably more likely to be drop by an oyster than radiation .

Images : Alex ProimosandLibrary of Congress .
[ Sources : Grand Central Releases Far More actinotherapy Than a Nuclear Power Plant , Radiation Protection , Potassium-40 ]
PhysicsRadioactivityScience

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