# What happens if someone swallows the americium found in smoke detectors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678 "2018-07-27T14:16:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/21 "2018-07-28T16:32:51Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > A California [Cabernet Sauvignon](https://www.sciencealert.com/radioactive-traces-fukushima-detected-californian-wine-caesium-137-napa) from 2012. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/22 "2018-07-28T16:49:05Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I’m pretty sure that the Am-241 in smoke detectors is encapsulated in some type of foil, so unless you were to grind it into powder, most of it would pass through your body without being absorbed. > [@Ruken](#): > > This is key. I know when I’ve needed polonium it’s been encapsulated in ceramic beads that were then dispersed in gold foil I’m still not going to try the taste test. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/23 "2018-07-28T17:24:08Z")
I thought you’d just turn green and get very very angry. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/24 "2018-07-28T17:30:03Z")
Or stomp through Tokyo. Or … ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/25 "2018-07-28T18:03:19Z")
I thought you would turn into the radioactive American Man. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/26 "2018-07-28T18:46:36Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I really, REALLY hope you are not overly interested in umbrella design. Maybe he’s a short-fingered Bulgarian. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/27 "2018-07-28T18:57:22Z")
From Queens? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/28 "2018-07-28T19:48:05Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I thought you would turn into the radioactive American Man. [You mean like this guy?](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678/29 "2018-07-28T22:12:28Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I haven’t been able to find information on the bonding strength of Americium Dioxide … are all these health effects mentioned above for the elemental form? … or does AmO[sub]2[/sub] break apart in HCl? … Actually, HCl is used in the synthesis of AmO[sub]2[/sub]. [Here’s a wiki on it.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americium_dioxide) > [@](#): > > I don’t believe Americium needs to be free of chemical bonds to be radioactive, so it makes safety sense to use an oxide that won’t escape into the environment … Nope, Am is radioactive regardless of where it is located. If it’s incorporated into a compound the Am atom remains radioactive. The wiki covers why Am is so often found in the AmO[sub]2[/sub] form. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-someone-swallows-the-americium-found-in-smoke-detectors/818678.md?page=1)