Posted 13 years ago
earlinda5752
(9 items)
just some more of the marbles these glow . under a black light , the grandkids think there pretty neet . we have had some good times taking the pictures . for my marbles 15 sec, of fame lol . dont know who made these either or where they came from . all i know is they were bought at a garage sale sometime in 1977 in ky. on a trip we took .
Marbles that glow green under a black light generally have a small amount of uranium in them. (I don't know if anything else would cause them to glow.) Everything I've read about these says that the amount of radioactivity is too small to hurt anyone, under normal use; grinding or polishing them is not considered normal use -- you don't want to inhale bits of radioactive marble dust!
Uranium glass was once used for tableware, too, including some carnival and depression glass, and the reddish-orange Fiesta Ware. Production stopped during WWII, when the government confiscated uranium supplies. About 15 years later, glass production resumed, but this time using depleted uranium.
I believe that the primary use is now for art objects, not for items that will come in contact with food.
I hope this is interesting to you! It sure surprised me when I learned of it!