NATROZIPPEITE - health concerns

Dear All,
I apologise if this is the wrong section where to post, I could not find anything specific.
I am about to buy a small specimen of natrozippeite and I just realised (very stupid of me, I know!) that it is naturally radioactive.
The specimen is small (14g in total, including matrix) and I was wondering: does it pose any health risk? If stored in a sealed acrylic box, can I keep it with my collection or should I keep it in a space far from everyday life (say attic or basement)?

I understand that this question might sound rather dumb, but I just want to be on the safe side.

Thanks.

Hi! Most people treat uranium minerals, especially the secondary one, as absolutely safe for keeping them in acrylic box and i.e. in a basement. The problem with secondary uranium micas (like autunite, torbernite, zeunerite, but not zippeite group minerals) the difficulty is that they for platelets than, in time, can divide much to give radioactive dust - so try to avoid inhaling these. Uranium-rich massive minerals like uraninite are a bit more dangerous due to RELATIVELY strong radiation - but its never as strong as the one of synthetic elements. I used to collect these beautiful secondary minerals but had to pass due to my anxiety disorder - but the REALISTIC theories would always say its OK. To be sure you can get lead foil to wrap the box in, or even a lead box, but I think its an exaggeration anyway. Just don't eat these and try not sitting by them for hours and days. A good thing is to keep the boxes with U minerals in a well ventilated places.

Best regards!

Luke

Natural radioactive minerals are not dangerous unless you do something stupid. Period. Stupid things you could do include keeping radioactive specimens in your pocket, under your pillow or eating, snorting or otherwise ingesting them. Otherwise, you needn't worry .

Chris has, I believe, correct. There are three kinds of protection from radioactives: time, shielding, and distance. We can't do anything about time. The decay rate is beyond our control. Shielding: even air provides some. Alpha particles are stopped quickly and beta a bit later. The gamma rays are like light and intensity decreases as the square of the distance. Anything beyond about 1 meter is relatively safe for small specimens.

> We can't do anything about time.

Actually, it's the easiest one to deal with. You limit your dosage of radiation by limiting the time you are in close proximity to the specimens.

OK, Jolyon. I was thinking of the half-life when I said that. You are certainly right-on with your comment.

Radon gas is a natural product of uranium decay, and can accumulate in closed spaces. Inhalation of radon is a real concern. So don't just focus on the radiation generated by the specimen itself.

The radon problem is easily solved by living in a well-ventilated home. And there are plenty of other good health reasons for having a well-ventilated home, not only the radon problem, so I don't follow the current fashion of sealing up the home completely to save energy. Health is more important than saving energy.

Thank you very much guys for the most in depth answers!