Hot Pepper!
This is a vintage Fiesta salt/pepper shaker that known for the radioactive uranium containing glaze.
“Continue reading” for Geiger counter reading and history behind this tableware.
This “radioactive red” Fiesta ware was produced up to 1944 when all Uranium was put to the war effort. Production started in the 1930’s. Despite the mushroom cloud look, it was produced well before the first A-bomb.
Why Uranium? I wondered if it looked brighter in sunlight due to some UV fluorescence similar to Uranium glass. However it has no fluorescence under UV at all. So I guess it is just for the red colour.
Shown here with a computer reading the Geiger counter. This is showing a background radiation of about 3 counts per second. It rises to around 300 when the shaker is placed on my Geiger counter. It fits well on top of the active window of my pancake detector. Never thought of a Geiger counter being an appropriate dinner table accessory.
Related pages
Geiger Counter
Background radiation in Australia
Try something else
External links
Fiesta ware radioactive glazes – Wiki
Photo Date: June 4, 2012