"Breeze block"

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think you miss a pint. AIUI and its a long time since I looked, coal was formed in shallow lakes and bogs...essentially where all the water that leaches stuff out of the hills ends up. In te samne waty te gold accumulates in stream beds because ist heavy asnd when the water speed drops, so does the gold out of suspension, heavy metals tend to accumulate in slow moving water.

Uranium oxide is water soluble, so anywhere where water is trapped, and filtered or evaporates will naturally accumulate uranium.

That includes plants.

?? I think you are not thinking straight. Uranium is inorganic, period.

Do you mean 'Uranium silts versus uranium in the actual organic matter as was? because frankly I dont thingk there is much difference once its coal.

Nor is it scientifically intesting: If a plant grows in uranium rich soils due to leaching from elsewhere, then whether the dead plant or the soil remnants contain the uranium is pretty academic. Both do in reasonable equlibrium.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Skin cancer, primarily due to sunburn, kills around 3,000 people a year in this country.

Imagine if nuclear power did the same...

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think 'perhaps they do' is about right.

All plants contain uranium and are thereby radioactive. Its a very common element and occurs almsot everywhere, but is more pravalent in rocks that have been extruded from deeper in the mantle - i.e. volcanic rocks like granite and the like.

[Chris Hogg]

Yes, exactly that.

Well, it should be possible to separate the two, if ground finely enough, probably to at least finer than 10 microns, possibly finer than 5 microns. Such fine-grinding and separation processes are well established in some industries.

That is probably true.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Had a workmate who was pretty ill with sunstroke. After doing a normal day's work outside in London. Only one on the crew, though, so may have been susceptible. Was young with a full head of hair.

[charles]

I had a cousin who died of malignant melanoma some 10 years ago. He was my age

[John Rumm]

Apparently you have a very similar issue with wood ash (and I would expect any ash from burnt "naturally" available energy sources. E.g.

Radionuclides are naturally present in the environment... so they are going to end up in organic stuff.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

I'll tell you what causes skin problems, people who aren't used to the sun going out in the sun. All these morons buying suncream and staying pasty white. I never use suncream, my skin gets used to it and gets tanned, and I never ever get burnt. The sun is a natural phenomenon, and believing we're supposed to invent artificial chemicals to shield ourselves from it is preposterous.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

The treehuggers will have you believe it does.

[Robert]

Seem to remember that Brazil nuts are one of the most radioactive foodstuffs around ( radioactivity by weight).

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Er.... when your skin goes red you go out of the sun, it's not rocket science. Your skin gets used to it after a while. It's called a tan. How the f*ck can you possibly think the most naturally occurring thing (the sun) can be bad for you? No.... we would never have evolved to get used to it, that would be impossible....

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Why did you abbreviate homosapiens?

[Tim Streater]

Of course it does. So what. I also did that, one year. But if you look at 40 year old women who ski etc all the, and are suntanned all the time, you'll observe that their skin is f***ed.

In any case having a suntan is naff, like having tattoos.

And going out in the sun can give you bad sunburn, which is what we are talking about. Do try to stay focussed.

[Tim Streater]

Being bedridden for a week is a bit of a clue that something bad had happened wouldn't you say, shit-fer-brains?

On that day at the beach, it was a bit foggy most of the day. But not foggy enough, obvs.

[Max Demian]

It's like T. Rex or E. Coli. Saves time.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

If you go out in the sun a lot, you can get a bit wrinkly, but you need a LOT of sun for that.

Having no tan makes you look ill and pasty, like Queen Victoria. It also means you lack vitamin D.

I already explained you can't get sunburn unless you go in the sun more than you have before. Or you usually use suncream, then forget. I never use suncream, so my skin is used to the amount of sun I always get.

[Max Demian]

Tanning protects you from sunburn but not cancer and other nasties. I think you have to 'evolve' naturally dark skin to protect you from them.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

So you were so stupid that you didn't notice your skin going red? If I go abroad and my skin gets a little red, I either go indoors, into the shade, or apply suncream. It's not difficult.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

We're all evolved to take the sun in our own country. The only people in danger are those who move to somewhere more tropical.

And you're wrong anyway, someone who has never been in the sun and someone with a good tan go somewhere hot and lay on the beach all day. The first person gets badly burnt, the other doesn't. The first is the one with the risk of cancer.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Those light skinned races who live in countries with lots of sun cover themselves against it.