'World's most dangerous toy' now on display in museum

An extremely rare example of a science kit dubbed ‘the most dangerous toy of all time’ has gone on display at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland. When originally sold in 1951 the Atomic Energy Lab came complete with radioactive discs to make around 150 different experiments possible.



The kits - containing uranium ore and sources of alpha, beta and gamma radiation - were aimed at a niche market in the US and only a small number are thought to have survived intact. The $50 cost equates to around $450 (£300) today. It has been purchased from an American toy dealer by National Museums NI and will is on display as part of a new Elements exhibition.

Curator of Palaeontology Dr Mike Simms said importing the 65-year-old kit from the US posed major difficulties with authorities on both sides of the Atlantic, even though the surviving radioactive items had been removed before shipping. Dr Simms added: “I think visitors will find it amazing and amusing that this set allowed budding young scientists to measure radioactivity or uranium in the comfort of their own homes. Perhaps it wouldn’t pass today’s health and safety standards but it is the perfect fit for the Elements exhibition.”



Supported by the Foyle Foundation, Friends of the Ulster Museum, Power NI and parent company Viridian Group, the exhibition is the first of its kind in the UK. It explores the periodic table with a series of themes that encompass life and death, wealth and fashion, art and technology, colour and light. Visitors can discover where elements were created, how they occur naturally, what they look like, how we use them and why they can be dangerous.

With video of Dr Simms discussing the Atomic Energy Lab.