Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Summary- Kean commences this chapter with "the rules of biology are much more delicate than the rules of chemistry." He uses this line to usher in an explanation about various poisonous elements. He refers to these as "poisoner's corridor." The chapter's first story is about an incident involving cadmium in Japan. Japanese demand for metal in times of war led to increased mining for zinc, but zinc was often mixed in with cadmium. The miners would purify the zinc and dump the cadium elsewhere, usually in streams or on the ground. Soon, locals would fall ill. They had joint trouble, deep bone pain, and failing kidneys. A local doctor named Noboru Hagino would figure out that cadmium was traveling through cadmium streams and being soaked up by the rice. Because rice was the main part of the locals' diets, cadmium poisoning was widespread. This event's influence would reach films, with Godzilla being killed off by cadmium-tipped missiles. Kean then goes into detail about other dangerous elements: thallium and bismuth.
      Kean's second story of the chapter is that of a certain David Hahn, known as the "Radioactive Boy Scout." His original motivation for his actions was to earn an atomic energy merit badge, but he went further despite his projects all being failures and disasters. He received most of his knowledge from government officials, writing under the guise of a professor called "Professor Hahn" who wished to come up with experiments for his students. He aspired to build a "breeder reactor," which is essentially self-sufficient. He would need uranium-233 and thorium-232. He never truly got close to building the reactor, as he never got enough uranium-233. He bought some ordinary and unenriched uranium and used a "neutron gun" to irradiate it, which only barely worked. He would later join the Navy in an attempt to work on nuclear submarines. Because of his history, the Navy assigned him to kitchen patrol and sanitation. After he left the military and returning to his hometown, he was caught stealing fire alarms, likely searching for americium.
     I liked the story about David Hahn. It was interesting and engaging, it caught your attention and kept it. The story about cadmium was also an interesting narrative. It shows just how intertwined chemistry and history are, and just how important environmental regulations are, too. I definitely liked that Kean explained how the poisonous metals affect our bodies, which was intriguing and very much like a standard virus. There wasn't anything I didn't like.