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Glowing Peril: The Magical Glitter That Poisoned a City

Glowing Peril: The Magical Glitter That Poisoned a City

FromCautionary Tales with Tim Harford


Glowing Peril: The Magical Glitter That Poisoned a City

FromCautionary Tales with Tim Harford

ratings:
Length:
36 minutes
Released:
Nov 24, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

In Goiânia, Brazil, a junk dealer acquires an old medical device from two scrap-metal scavengers. The device itself isn't useful, but it comes with precious lead which will fetch him good money. There's something else inside the device, too: a curious, crystal-like substance that glows bright blue in the dark.
At first, the dealer is mesmerized by it: he wants to turn it into jewelry for his wife. But, everyone who comes into contact with the magical glitter seems to get sick. His own family succumbs to nausea and vomiting. A doctor suggests food poisoning - but this isn't like any food poisoning they've ever known before. And soon, the whole city is contaminated.
No-one saw this horrifying radiation accident coming. Should they have?
For a full list of sources, please see the show notes at timharford.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Released:
Nov 24, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.