What's New?
.	NRC Chairman Resigns
.	NAS Report on Future Workforce Needs
.	Hodes Award Nominations Request
.	Radiation Risks and Protective Actions
.	June Journal
.	IAEA Conference - Rad Protection in Medicine
.	HPS Mentoring Program Update
.	New Low-Level Waste Site Operational
.	May Newsletter
.	America's Nuclear Future Report

Upcoming Events
.	Canadian Radiation Protection Association Annual Meeting 27-30 May 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia
.	ACS Undergrad Summer Schools 10 June - 20 July 2012
.	NRC Meeting Webcasts May-June 2012
.	57th Annual HPS Meeting 22-26 July 2012 Sacramento, CA
.	37th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) 14-17 Oct 2012 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
.	International Conference on Radiation Shielding 2-7 Nov 2012 Nara, Japan

24 May 2012

Answer to Question #4799 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Radiation Effects — Effects on Animals

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I have heard that during nuclear weapons testing in the 1940s and 1950s, cows in a nearby pasture were exposed to fallout and would glow at night. Is there any truth to this situation and is it possible for living organisms to glow from radiation?

This is an old joke that has been applied in many situations, not just farm animals. Remember luminous dials for watches or other instruments. Two ingredients are required: a radioactive material plus a substance that glows when exposed to radiation. Neither of these are present in living tissue. Atoms are made to be radioactive by bombardment with neutrons in a nuclear reactor or heavy ions in a large accelerator—not by exposure to ordinary radiation.

S. Julian Gibbs, DDS, PhD

Answer posted on 28 September 2005. The information and material posted on this website is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Website. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.