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Many are going to ask, "What's so weird about this one corner?" and I'm here to answer.
The end of Irving Avenue, where it meets Moffat Street, in Ridgewood, Queens, is the most radioactive spot in the entire state of New York, and would be the northeast's if not for NJ's McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County (called "the most contaminated base" in 2007 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency).
In 1918, chemical engineer Alcan Hirsch, and his brother, mining chief Marx Hirsch, opened a chemical plant where today sits most of the businesses on Irving Ave's north side. In 1920, they christen it Hirsch Laboratories, and later added the mining company Molybdenum Corporation (aka Molycorp). The Hirsch brothers sold the lab in 1923 to Harry Wolff and Max Alport, who renamed it Wolff-Alport Chemical Company, but continued their mining operations, and supplied W-A Chemical with the rare-earth metals needed to produce a huge list of products.
The plant processed Monazite sand, which, when treated with Sulfuric Acid, separates into the rare-earth Sodium Sulfate, but also the radioactive waste known as Thorium Pyrophosphate.
It wasn't till the United States' nuclear weapons program in 1942, known as the Manhattan Project, that Thorium became useful. Until 1947, when the Atomic Energy Commission began to purchase the fertile heavy element from Wolff-Alport, and for the full 20-years prior, the Thorium waste was simply dumped into the area's sewers.
"Thorium waste dumped into the area's sewers." Amazing.
(Score: 3, Informative) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday February 15 2016, @06:21AM
Schmidt was a scientist, and I said "most people", as in the majority of the population. It still wasn't common knowledge that radiation was dangerous, the majority of people didn't know about Radium and the other actinides being radioactive much less dangerous. As you even pointed out people were being told that Radium wasn't dangerous, even though those in upper management knew enough to protect themselves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium#Luminescent_paint [wikipedia.org], the resulting law suits by the "Radium Girls" changed how the public at large perceived radiation, they learned it was dangerous. But that wasn't until the mid to late 1920s, before then it is as I said, most people didn't know the dangers.
And even after the Radium Girls there were no regulations or laws about the disposal of radioactive materials, so people just flushed it down the drains. Their actions may have been irresponsible, idiotic and outright illegal by today's standards but back then it was a different world and those being ordered to dump the stuff didn't know any better.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Monday February 15 2016, @01:27PM
Schmidt was a scientist, and I said "most people", as in the majority of the population.
sure... but your average joe has no interest in Thorium.
And even after the Radium Girls there were no regulations or laws about the disposal of radioactive materials, so people just flushed it down the drains. Their actions may have been irresponsible, idiotic and outright illegal by today's standards but back then it was a different world and those being ordered to dump the stuff didn't know any better.
i don't blame the people who dumped it, i blame the people giving the orders to dump it.