If your mother is radioactive, will you be born radioactive too?
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
April 7, 2016 5:48am CST
My favorite headline of the day comes from the Mirror and it's this:
"Rampaging RADIOACTIVE wild boars causing havoc near Fukushima nuclear plant and breeding like rabbits" *
I found the headline so intriguing, I did something I never do. I read the article. But before I did, my imagination had already taken flight and I was left with so many questions.
See, the fact that the word "radioactive" was in upper case and so prominently placed in the headline made me believe it was important. But it's not apparently.
I was imagining glow-in-the-dark wild boar having litters of glowing baby boar.
And I thought radioactivity would sterilize anyone exposed to it, but instead it seemed to be making them breed like rabbits.
Which made me wonder, if your mom is radioactive, would you be born radioactive too?
I found a fact sheet on radiation in pregnancy, but it dealt mostly with the possibility of radiation exposure during pregnancy, not an actual radioactive mother.
Of course, it's just another case of the people who write up news stories trying for the most attention-arresting headline they can concoct. The radioactivity of the boar is only a problem in that when they kill the rampaging herds, they can't eat them.
Like Chernobyl, it's a great opportunity to watch what really happens following a nuclear accident. Scientists will learn a lot about radiation exposure following a nuclear accident and its effects on the environment and the wildlife. Of course, they may not learn what they need to know in time to prevent more disasters, which is pretty much how humans seem to learn - from their mistakes.
*http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/rampaging-radioactive-wild-boars-causing-7705006
**Image from Pixabay free images
20 people like this
23 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
7 Apr 16
I do like the idea of a wild boar glowing in the dark. They would make an excellent pet because we would save some money by using them as lighting in the evenings.
Obviously we would have to keep them outdoors at night, which would bring a new meaning to the term “Put the light out”.
4 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
7 Apr 16
lol I really hate those sensational headlines, they rarely deliver what the promise, an interesting article.!! How are you enjoying the cold? I am already tired of it and ready to see a little spring. Today we are getting heavy rain, what next?
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
7 Apr 16
I remember very well that when there was the Chernobyl nuclear accidents, the wild boars in many European countries were contaminated because they mainly eat tubers and mushrooms and those plants are the one that gets more radiations. I think we learned nothing 30 years ago and still will learn nothing.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
7 Apr 16
Those catchy headlines and the rabbit trails they lead us down. I have this curiosity, that makes me need to find out more. This is what also drives me crazy when things are constantly being shared on Facebook that 10 seconds of research will disprove.
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
8 Apr 16
maybe adds birth defects and tumors and cancer and such, but I admit I pictured glow in the dark pigs too
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (18923)
• United States
7 Apr 16
They could have had small traces of it and then get pregnant. But yes your mind does go wild with that kind of headline.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
9 Apr 16
I always found incidents like that fascinating. I think it's more the idea of a virtual ghost town that fascinates me, how one minute everything is busy and booming, and then the next day everyone just leaves everything the way it is and flees. It's interesting to me, and the fact that despite incidents we haven't completely learned from our mistakes, but it does seem we are improving some. Nuclear power plants make me nervous. We have one not too terribly far from where I live, and if something were to happen I would have to evacuate. It's a scary thought, especially considering we get bad storms and tornadoes here.
@iamshane487 (1139)
• Manila, Philippines
8 Apr 16
Sounds so interesting and I like the way you said that some of the writers are just making their catchy headlines to get the numerous visits.
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
7 Apr 16
Sometimes the best news is a bit crazy all because the writer thinks Big Headlines make big news. Poor babies can't be eaten so might not have to die and will be radioactive forever, forever glowing in the dark - developing a new species, forever not being eaten... I don't think I want one as a pet...
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
8 Apr 16
Okay, now I really crave a little glow in the dark boar as a pet! That would be so cute!
@just4him (306113)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Apr 16
Interesting headlines. You could do a lot with a headline like that and you did.