*Correction* I stupidly said plutonium instead of polonium! I will write 1000 lines as a punishment

@MadScientist267

Жыл бұрын

@Doug Kenney You're just too slow

@jasonhaman4670

Жыл бұрын

That is an extremely appropriate renaming. I hereby move that Polonium 210 be renamed putinium (no capitalization).

@MadScientist267

Жыл бұрын

@@jasonhaman4670 I'm surrounded here, aren't I

@godzilla928

Жыл бұрын

'I'm ... I'm I?'*

@nemesisferrari8537

Жыл бұрын

Back to the future :)

I once worked in the nuclear industry and was unfortunately involved in a couple "unusual events," which is what minor nuclear accidents are called here in the U.S. Probably to avoid bad press. I was exposed to an unexpected amount of radiation when my dosimetry died while I was inside a steam generator. But that was far less scary than when I was contaminated with a radioactive particle and almost ingested it. After setting off the alarms when trying to leave containment they couldn't locate the source. I took a decon shower and still set off the alarms. They eventually found the particle on my lip. They removed it with a piece of duct tape. If I had swallowed that particle they could have kept me on site for up to two weeks or had me urinate and defecate in containers, which they would pick up, until they accounted for that particle. And of course it would have been irradiating my insides that whole time. The money was unbelievable but I'm so glad I left that industry after that experience.

@StupidCatLady

Жыл бұрын

That's absolutely terrifying! I'm glad you're ok. Did you/do you have any issues after exposure?

@katiekane5247

Жыл бұрын

A particle so small you couldn't feel it could cause such a mayhem. Glad you're ok!

@93Beefcake

Жыл бұрын

If that story is true and you are from the us as you claim can’t you sue them for millions for poor safety protocols/ the damage you might have suffered

@CountingStars333

Жыл бұрын

I imagine you saying oopsie and dropping U-235 on your feet.

@mrdoggy8801

Жыл бұрын

@@CountingStars333 Is U-235 alpha-emitting?

Man I love the radiation themed stuff plainly difficult does. I could watch all of them without skipping. The videos are awesome, keep it up!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@user-hv9vn4fi4w

Жыл бұрын

It's not real proof of this story, it's only speculations

@Jabba1625

Жыл бұрын

@@user-hv9vn4fi4w Pro Putin Troll are you ? I sadly encountered one on another channel. Guess its a change from MAGA trolls...oh wait, different sh#t, same smell.

@CA_I

Жыл бұрын

I agree, the radiation/nuclear ones are the best. I wish they could do a video about the Sellafield site in the UK, and the UK's approach to nuclear reprocessing. I've seen the Windscale fire one, but there are plenty of others to feature. Another one could be the Dounreay site, and the various mishaps that occurred there.

@rachelblake2350

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. There's something about the writing and the delivery that perfectly captures the weird haunting place radiation events occupy in my mind. It's this weird unseen terror that breaks you down on the most fundamental level and the effects are unpredictable and often random. It's alien and antithetical to the natural human condition, and Plainly Difficult delivers that in spades.

Radiation poisonings and nerve agents are probably among the scariest threats for me. Most other types of threats can either be identified and mitigated before they are too much of a risk or can be planned around and dealt with. Unless you live life in perpetual fear and test *everything* and come into contact with the fewest things possible it's extremely hard to do anything about either of those threats and they are extremely and *rapidly* lethal with very little you can do about it after the fact. The only 'saving grace' I suppose is that they are somewhat difficult to acquire and come across, and don't usually occur in nature, particularly in the case of the more scary nerve agents

@TAKIZAWAYAMASHITA

Жыл бұрын

Same here those are some of the scariest things. Another is if someone can weponize prions that's a cruel way to go and untreatable. These sort of fears grip me because I work in the security field as a bodyguard in south Korea for kpop idols. We had a scare like this a long time ago, a angry fan was very upset with the members and decided to poison this kid yunho, they disguised themselves as staff and gave him a cup of orange juice laced with cyanoacrylate= super glue. Luckily it didn't work out and didn't cause much harm as it was caught very early on. He was quickly wisked away from the event and to the hospital and everything was fine. But yes stuff like radiation poisoning is a big scare for me. Luckily these types of fans are rare and don't possess the will nor the knowledge to do this type of shit

@eiloen

Жыл бұрын

Just don't share that pic of Putin as a gay clown, or the one of Putin being ridden by a donkey by Vladimir Zelensky, or be a journalist critical of Little Vladdie's no dick energy and you'll be safe from being assassinated via radioactive/nerve agents. You might suffer a tragic unexpected fall out of a window after shooting yourself in the back of the head tho.

@skivvy3565

Жыл бұрын

It’s nightmarish how much people underestimate bioweaponeering since it doesn’t look at near as a big boom. Ken Albiek’s book Biohazard after he defected to the US has stuck with me to this day. Especially Japan’s Water Purification Unit 731. And how they were just 2 weeks away from dropping billions of bioengineered plagued flea canisters on San Diego before Nagasaki and Hiroshima

@ligmasack9038

Жыл бұрын

@@skivvy3565 They were never "close" to dropping Flea's on the U.S.; as they didn't have the means to get across the ocean as we had SANK most of it's Navy by the end of 1943, beginning of '44. Also, Unit 731 was always known/listed as being a Bio-Weapons research department for the IJA.

@TAKIZAWAYAMASHITA

Жыл бұрын

@@skivvy3565 yes most people do. but trust me us in the security services keep a close eye on this stuff. even the kpop agency that employees us has a team dedicated to watching for threats like this. Funnily enough it benefits national security as well as they can always refer info to the police and other agencies. Because believe it or not the federal and local law enforcement arent always the first people to come in contact with something or be the first warning that something is up.

My father has a degree in nuclear engineering. He worked in the 80s during the cold war on a nuclear submarine doing multiple patrols. In the 90s, after I was born, I remember him working at a nuclear plant in New Jersey. There had been a few incidents there, but there was one he told me about. Somehow him and another plant worker fully in gear had contamination spilled on their clothing. When they went into the room to get undressed and go through the sensors, the alarms started blaring. They looked at each other and said "well this is bad". They quickly took him, and the other worker to a decontamination room, showered him multiple times, and burned all his clothing. Luckily, he didn't breathe anything in, and after a few days was free to come home. He's still alive, still working in the nuclear field, and about to retire.

@maldor56

Жыл бұрын

Even radiation knows not to mess with your father. He sounds like a hell of a man

@caphunterx2322

Жыл бұрын

Tbh, burning contamated clothes sound like a good way of spreading contaminated ash al over the place

@shredder_mang3211

Жыл бұрын

Oyster creek it’s right by me they had tons of incidents until it closed, first functional nuclear power plant in the us

@AT-vp8qw

11 ай бұрын

​@CapHunterX they probably didn't burn it in an open area. Most likely an enclosed chamber or something

@FJolly86

11 ай бұрын

Where in nj?

As a radiation safety officer myself , this is right up my alley ☢️ cheers, thanks for the great content!!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@bigsiebuzz1728

Жыл бұрын

How much does a radiation safety officer make

@ConstantlyDamaged

Жыл бұрын

@@bigsiebuzz1728 From what I understand, about 20mSv a year on average. Oh, wait, that's how much they get.

@valsptsd814

Жыл бұрын

@@ConstantlyDamagedthat’s funny af

@sirandrelefaedelinoge

Жыл бұрын

Surely radiation safety is an oxymoron...

The recklessnesss of the agents, who brought the substance on a commercial airplane and then just poured it down the drain is probably just as scary as the murder itself.

@JoshuaTootell

Жыл бұрын

Murderers don't really value anyone's life. So they really don't care about a secondary impact as long as it gets the job done.

@theodorTugendreich

Жыл бұрын

They were normal thieves in Postsovietrussia. They´ve stolen something truely valuable to deal with it, and Litvinienko was somehow involved.

@AndyFletcherX31

Жыл бұрын

@@theodorTugendreich That isn't what the investigation and report stated - the two others were known KGB operatives, one of whom later ended up in the Duma. Rather it was a deliberate assassination and the Russian authorities refused to cooperate at every level. If they were truly "normal thieves" then the authorities would be very active as they wouldn't like people running around uncontrolled with radioactive isotopes.

@DJB10T1C

Жыл бұрын

makes me think, that probably effect someones health down the line and they will never know why.

@1978garfield

Жыл бұрын

@@DJB10T1C Yea I would hate to be the maintenance guy at the hotels they dumped the stuff at.. I doubt they pulled out all the plumbing fixtures and drainpipes. I would not be surprised if that stuff hung arround for a while. Likewise I would not want to be the next customer to get served from that teapot.

I knew there was some contamination at places he was at, but had no idea the extent of contamination all over London as well as on the airlines themselves. Incredibly lucky that nobody else seems to have suffered a similar fate from this contamination.

@BHuang92

Жыл бұрын

Whoever planned the assassination thought it well

@nlwilson4892

Жыл бұрын

Alpha emitters can't travel through your skin so you need to inhale or ingest it (or get it into a cut) for it to be dangerous. That is why it is so effective as a poison. The others most at risk would be anyone that drank from that teapot, it would be interesting to know how many they managed to trace. Although, if it was well washed out there would be minimal amounts left.

@revenevan11

Жыл бұрын

I know, it's disgusting that Putin got away with this radiological terrorist attack.

@yespeace2000

Жыл бұрын

Well, he said it has to be ingested. The skin is probably good enough protection.

@jimjam6958

Жыл бұрын

Lucky the tea pot was taken away and thoroughly washed up

This and the umbrella poisoning of Georgi Markov have fascinated me

@neuralmute

Жыл бұрын

Same. The KGB/FSB have the wildest methods for successful assassinations around. (For wild UNsuccessful assassination methods, check out the CIA's history with Castro. 🤣)

@pocaluneksmierci

Жыл бұрын

Or Sergei Skripal…

Jesus christ, they went to such lengths just to silence this man. Absolutely horrifying.

Sometimes I worry about myself. Sees new Plainly Difficult video: "Oh boy, time to learn about another horrible accident or radiological poisoning event!"

@garylefevers

Жыл бұрын

Same here. I feel weird about looking forward to this type thing. But personally it is the science that fascinating to me. Plus it keeps me in check. Reminds me things could definitely be worse in like.

@garylefevers

Жыл бұрын

Sorry, in life.

@jasonhaman4670

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget the delectibly comedic patented Plainly Difficult drawings!

@christophersanders3252

Жыл бұрын

I like to think that I will save one persons life in my lifetime because I immediately identify what they are dying of just because I'm a disaster nerd.

Definitely feels to me like this is a particular poison that an assassin would only use when the goal is to make an example of someone to scare others.

As a crime and diplomatic transgression, this was definitely up there with the all time worst cases in the sense that it was so blatant, kind of bungled and still to this day a great injustice.

@nvelsen1975

Жыл бұрын

Forget crime, it's a terrorist strike using radioactive weapons.

@ingvarhallstrom2306

Жыл бұрын

It has the smell of Putin all over it. That man is vicious and find joy in tormenting people. The cruelty is the message.

@krissteel4074

Жыл бұрын

@@nvelsen1975 Its still a crime, just the state sponsored terrorism kind of crime

@krissteel4074

Жыл бұрын

@@ingvarhallstrom2306 Hopefully he won't be around for too much longer, life's hard enough without people adding that kind of behaviour

@ingvarhallstrom2306

Жыл бұрын

@@krissteel4074 Hopefully. The irony is, all history is gonna remember him for is being Putin the Not So Great. He's so deluded in his megalomania he actually thinks he's doing great things....

While I don't fault first responders or even the first couple of specialists for not realizing he'd suffered radiation poisoning, the seeming lack of urgency by healthcare professionals in this case is deeply troubling to me.

@toonieven

Жыл бұрын

Do you have any idea how totally out of this world extraordinary unbelievable such a case would be to any doctor except maybe one who works for intelligence agencies or nuclear regulators? As an MD I can tell you that this would be the very last thing in my differential diagnosis if I was confronted with a similar case. I frankly find it astonishing that they were even able to diagnose the radiation poisoning while he was still alive.

@LEOhopeful

Жыл бұрын

You watch too much House M.D. lol

@dougaltolan3017

Жыл бұрын

@@toonieven How close are the symptoms to effects of radio therapy for cancer treatment?

@toonieven

Жыл бұрын

@@dougaltolan3017 under normal circumstances and with therapeutic doses of radiation the side effects would be limited to sunburn like skin irritation and more rarely inflammation of bystander organs involved in the target volume (radiocystitis, radiorectitis, radiopmeumonitis etc.). So normally, acute radiation sickness is something that you would never see a a result of radiotherapy. The exception being the Therac-25 incident which caused several deaths due to faulty settings on a therapeutic linear accelerator. I believe plainly difficult made an excellent documentary on this if you're interested. In any case, in routine clinical practice, ARS is something that the majority of healthcare workers will never ever be confronted with. Unless Vlad throws a temper tantrum and pushes the red button in which case we're all screwed.

@ccooper8785

Жыл бұрын

What do you expect them to do? In normal times if you hear hoof-bears you do not automatically think "zebras"....

I never heard of this one, as I was 10 years old at the time, but I'm hoping to see you cover the novichok nerve agent attack in Salsbury a few years ago

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion

@Jabarri74

Жыл бұрын

Biggest joke of a story ever, none of it even makes sense. I'd love for anyone to try and make what happened seem plausible

@elijah333

Жыл бұрын

@@Jabarri74 +15 рублей

@tyrannosaurusimperator

Жыл бұрын

"Attack" With a nerve agent that affected an obese, elderly man, and his fit daughter the exact same time 6+ hours after exposure, which was apparently caused by both of them touching the same door knob, but some random person picked up the container that had held the alleged agent days later and died instantly.

@iitzfizz

Жыл бұрын

@@PlainlyDifficult I was going to suggest this too!

So cool of you to rework this so it could be published, and as a bonus video no less! I've read about this incident but didn't realize the enormous amount of contamination it caused.

I studied radiobiology and we actually studied his case. It is so sad how he died. His literal gastric lining died because of the polonium. Frankly holding it in a cup would not be able to harm you. It's radiation radius is max 2 cm so it only destroys if you touch it. (your skin is actually stops some of the rays and the radius drops down around 1cm when contact with skin but soft tissue doesn't have a protective layer like skin) That explains bloody stool and throwing up. 😮 So smart way to harm someone. The radiation can't harm the carrier and only the one who drinks it gets the harm. So scary. Thanks for the video. I never thought I'd see this guy again

Polonium-210 is such a fascinating isotope, and to use it in an assassination is the least subtle Russian ploy imaginable. I'm wondering just how crapped up the Russian side was - impossible to tell now with such a short half life isotope but fuckin hell...

@nlwilson4892

Жыл бұрын

Least subtle is what they were aiming for - make a traitor die a really horrible death to deter others. These days they tend to fall out of windows or shoot themselves.

@trustytrest

Жыл бұрын

Funny. It should be Russian patriots, not expatriates, who get the Polonium treatment

What a horrible way to go. Shame no one ever faced consequences for this crime. An all too common outcome for government atrocities.

LOL so they just side-poisoned possibly dozens of others. Very efficient, FSB.

@Darca1n

Жыл бұрын

They don't give a shit about the collateral amyways.

@SupersuMC

Жыл бұрын

@@Darca1n These are the guys that designed the Tsar Bomba to have a yield of 100,000 megatons of TNT before saner heads prevailed, after all.

@RaisedxFist

Жыл бұрын

🇷🇺V'Russians🇷🇺

@RaisedxFist

9 ай бұрын

@SupersuMC Speaking of which, have You seen the damage area that Tsar Bomb would have created if it was actually dropped ?? People talk about city killer bombs, or country killer bombs. No no no, this is a fucking CONTINENT Killer. This 1 bomb could take out pretty much all of Europe and then some. The west doesn't have anything like that, yet.

Your channel is the perfect mix of the science and facts, while still keeping things easy-to-follow. With a dose of good humour to keep things lighter of course 😉

@alilonghair7792

Жыл бұрын

Even filming making a cup of tea... Plainly difficult goes the extra mile for us 😀☕

@TheNuckinFoob

Жыл бұрын

Science deals in facts as we know them. Saying it's a perfect mix of science and facts is kind of silly. Yeah, theories leave it open ended because there's always the possibility that more data becomes available to improve or even change the theory altogether but the end result of science is fact. 👍

@tombombadil3185

Жыл бұрын

@@TheNuckinFoob Peer reviewed facts to be exact! That is the beauty of science.

@courtneyv323

Жыл бұрын

@@TheNuckinFoob I agree, but wasn’t using facts in that way. I was referring to facts as truth about events (what happened and when based on testimony of individuals and reports.)

I love the radiation content I dunno why but I just find it so interesting and you do such a good job of explaining it so even normal people like my self can understand it thanks for all your hard work plainly difficult

803 KeV gamma emission from Polonium-210 is extremely rare, only 0.001% of decays emits a gamma photon. This gamma photon can't be readily detected unless the levels of Polonium-210 are enormous.

PLAINLY BONUS VIDEO? HOORAY! Have I entered a time warp? I thought it was Wednesday.

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

It is Wednesday!!

Ooh! I was hoping you'd get to this one. The poor bastard. Tho rare, more radiological awareness needs to be drilled into doctor's heads, and you've got a library full of reasons as to why on this channel. Keep up the awesome content, John man

@deus_ex_machina_

Жыл бұрын

Should it though? The number of people who die of acute radiation syndrome in a given year can be counted on one hand. If anything, high-risk assassination targets should be taught to watch out for the symptoms and alert their care-providers.

@spectreandromedus8661

Жыл бұрын

That's a good point. My thoughts were more on mass contamination events, but those are pretty rare as well

There's a restaurant in Sheffield called Polonium. This incident has done little for them.

@PMA65537

Жыл бұрын

I used to eat POLOs as a kid.

@nvelsen1975

Жыл бұрын

Cyberpunk 2077 contains a reference to such illiterate naming of eateries, containing a food stand called Salmonella.

@jasonhaman4670

Жыл бұрын

That aged like milk!

Another piece of information about this assassination is the poison is likely the most expensive poison ever used, at an estimated cost of $42 Trillion dollars per kilogram. Even a few grains would be potentially $1 million or more.

@ingvarhallstrom2306

Жыл бұрын

Which point to a state agent, because that kind of money is absolutely nothing for a state like Russia.

@raphk9599

Жыл бұрын

Glad tax payer money in Russia is being used to benefit the citizens...

@skylovescars69420

Жыл бұрын

@@ingvarhallstrom2306 for now at least...

@HgHg-yp6ft

Жыл бұрын

@@ingvarhallstrom2306 Which point out to who berezovski had business dealings with prior his well timed run to UK... The supposed dose used to poison L is worth few million dollars and this story is as believable as the Novichok 007 "mastery" haha. How come the Russians are getting those guys, then sue them, then put them in prison for years {the Novichok guy}, then exchange them when they are deemed harmless and only after they reach England the Russians are like " Oh, shoot, lets waste few millon dollars of very specific and traceable substance to poison this nobody that we dont even bother to arrest for years in Russia"...Common now...

@3rdkind

Жыл бұрын

Your maths are delusional you count like a toddler

I remember seeing this man, dying. Knowing he was. And knowing who did it. So cruel and very sad. God bless his loved ones

@wendyjones5853

Жыл бұрын

Who dunnit then? And before you answer ,it most certainly was not Putin , as the lying Brith press and government would have us all believe ? Because Putin has got far more important things to do? Than send men to poison the guy ,? RUSKIE PHOBIA YET AGAIN , YAWN !

@janetpendlebury6808

9 ай бұрын

God obviously did not bless him though.

I love sipping a cup of coffee on a saturday morning and watching the latest PD episode..... SHIT! I GOTTA GET TO WORK!!!!!

I was talking about this with my mother yesterday, great to have more info on this. Keep up the good work, and special thanks for using a CC license!

Doctors in London: "Mr. Litvinenko, you've been poisoned with Polonium." Litvinenko: "...balls."

Great video idea! Such a timely & crazy story.

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

It really is!!

Having watched your orphaned sources videos, I find it fascinating that a hospital in Kazakhstan or somewhere picks up on radiation sickness in some random member of the public in two or three days, whereas when a known former FSB agent and seeker of political asylum turns up in a UK hospital after meeting other politically connected Russian citizens and then suddenly becoming dramatically ill- on the very anniversary of his being exiled from Russia- they scratch their heads for ages.

@walp86

11 ай бұрын

Short answer: "Radiation burns"; first erythema, then epilation and finally necrosis if the radiation dose is sufficient, are easy telltale signs of exposure to ionsing radiation. Almost every doctor in the world (should) know that, since they (should) study radiology and the effects of x-rays to the human body. However, in the case of Mr. Litvinienko, there was no classic telltale sign of that to his externals, but they recognized the internal signs, such as bone marrow supression, vomiting, diarrhea, blood status signs, and yes, one external sign, he finally lost his hair, (epilation), but that mighty be chemically related. They suspected thallium poisoning and administered preussian blue, but tests for thallium came back negative. They did suspect radiation overdose, but GM-tube tests also came back negative since the 803 keV gamma photon only has a yield of 1/100000 and even though he ingested a humongous amount, the GM-tube did not detect those gamma photons. Analysis of urine samples with NaI (?)-or HPGe(?)detectors did however easily see the 803 keV gammas, since they have much greater efficiency, better geometry, uses lead-/copper shielding and make use of exceptionally longer counting times, than hand held GM-tubes.

@janetpendlebury6808

9 ай бұрын

Did the hospital know he was a former agent and political asylum person when he was admitted to hospital?

Thank you Mr Plainly Difficult I really enjoy these kinda narrations. As always looking forward to the next

I’ve heard this story from other channels but for John I will gladly listen and watch!

This story is so gruesome and shows how much (nothing at all) Lugovoy’s and Kovtun’s boss care about human life. Mr P has claimed that he has no mercy for traitors but in most people’s eyes Litvinenko was a true patriot fighting for rightness, until he was stopped by the head of the KGB, a mister V V Putin. May we never forget this story.

@SofaKingShit

Жыл бұрын

Brilliant narrative, I can almost see Vlad stroking a large white cat in his lair as he laughs maniacally.

@Soundbrigade

Жыл бұрын

@@SofaKingShit The ex-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, was arrested when he was tricked to return to his home country and is now slowly and surely poisened by the pro-Russian govt.

@sands7779

Жыл бұрын

Shot in her apartment block on his 54th birthday ( journalist Anna Politkovskaya) , opposition leader in prison after trying to kill him with poison in his underpants ( Alexei Navalny) another opponent shot (Boris Nemtsov) and Vladimir Kara-Murza, poisoned twice, not to mention all of the falls from high rise windows.

@Soundbrigade

Жыл бұрын

@@sands7779 Now the ex-president of Georgia is slowly being poisoned in a poison in Georgia.

@jokuvaan5175

Жыл бұрын

​@@sands7779 Also bombing apartment buildings and blaming it on Tsetshens to justify invasion of defacto independent Tshetsnia. Was it a Russian mayor that announced the destruction of one of the buildings....3 days before it happened. And then people said they saw FSB agents roaming around the desttoyed buildings before the attacks. Hundreds of ordinary Russians were killed.

Thank you for your hard work on these very informative videos

Man every single video you make about radiation is so so good. Banger every time. Keep it up :)

Thank you for covering this!!

Scary. Like something out of a spy movie, some waitstaff in the bar that no one had seen before dumping whatever into the teapot and delivering it to the table, then leaving and no one saw them again…a way to do that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Plus everyone else who was exposed just being nearby! That’s the truly scary bit!!

@m.k.8158

Жыл бұрын

Being nearby would hardly expose you at all-Alpha does not travel through the air well-the air actually attenuates Alpha quite well, assuming a bit of distance-even 6 inches of air will virtually eliminate the risk-also, since it can't penetrate the layer of dead skin cells that cover the human body, just exposure is not really much of a risk anyway. Alpha IS very dangerous INSIDE the body however. So not exposure, but internal contamination would be dangerous. This WAS noted in the video.

@contra1124

Жыл бұрын

I doubt it was some waitstaff that no one had seen before. But the truly surpising thing is that it didn't kill anyone else, which suggests that the other two at least knew not to drink the tea, or just didn't drink tea.

@jasonhaman4670

Жыл бұрын

Or added the polonium after pouring their cups. Would have been suspicious if they didn't drink their tea.

Here’s the odd part.. he was in the KGB. You think he might have been immediately suspicious and notified the hospital that he suspected radiation poisoning.

@SupersuMC

Жыл бұрын

But he was in Britain, though...

@tormodhag6824

Жыл бұрын

And it was the first polonium poisoning so he didn't really have a way to know that

@contra1124

Жыл бұрын

since the geiger counter didn't show anything it wasn't so crystal clear though, and it wasn't that common of a poisoning method at the time

@gamehous3

Жыл бұрын

In the interview transcripts, Litvenenko was sure he was poisoned but also believed it was Thalium as that was something he was aware of from his time in the KGB/FSB. Nobody even him could have predicted it was Polonium 210 until the urine tests came back because most toxicology tests would miss this. Its speculated that even this caused surprise at the test site as the peak was linked to Polonium 210 by 2 atomic scientists who specialised in weapon development who overheard the results of the test (Check out the BBC News night doc on it). It was the first time that atomic poisoning had happened as part of an assasination attempt that we know of and honestly it was considered so unrealistic that a major world power would do this so blatantly on foreign soil

Glad to see you are back to your original style of narration, without those pauses and segment title reads that that other disaster youtubers are overusing.

Yes, I've been waiting for this topic!

I always wanted to know more about this. Thank you!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thank you

Brilliant, just what I need, something decent to watch

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I always look forward to your videos. Thank you very much.

Just in time again, thank you John!

Thanks for this. Same as the brutal murder of Dawn Sturgess. Only one tyrant. May them both RIP.

@rtqii

Жыл бұрын

Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley

@simonbletsoe7059

Жыл бұрын

I apologise Dawn.

I have a geiger counter that can detect Po-210. Amusingly enough, it's Russian made (Radiascan 701a). It has a pancake probe that allows it to detect alpha. Geiger counters that use a traditional tube cannot detect alpha.

this is one of my earliest big news memories, i was ten at the time that image of him in the hospital bed was absolutely everywhere at the time and it's permanently seared into my brain

This was clearly intended to be a display of power rather than a covert assassination

@nvelsen1975

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's not like doing this attack and chucking some nerve gas at the UK is going to piss them off and make them send something like say, anti-tank missiles to the first guy you pick a fight with. 😆

@ingvarhallstrom2306

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely. The cruelty is a message. Coming from someone like Putin that seems to take pride in breaking every convention of the Nuremburg trials.

Alpha emitters are hugely dangerous, taken internally. You cover that quite nicely. But do not also discount the heavy metal poisoning aspect; heavy metals such as plutonium or arsenic can cause lethal intoxication in quite small concentrations.

@BavarianM

Жыл бұрын

Plutonium is radioactive

@lairdcummings9092

Жыл бұрын

@@BavarianM yes, it is, but at a low specific activity in its most common isotope. The value of plutonium in fission reactions lies in its very large mass defect when split.

@DJB10T1C

Жыл бұрын

i find gamma to be worse since it can pass through your body unlike alpha which would bounce of your skin and only affect your outer layer.

@miscellaneousz2681

Жыл бұрын

@@DJB10T1C Alpha particles are more ionising. Gamma can travel right through.

It would also be interesting to talk about the death of Yasir Arafat. There is a theory that he was assassinated by the Mossad using Polonium 210 too.

Very good video. Love your work.

Thanks for another awesome video!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thank you

In my thirties I worked in a research laboratory conducting investigations into antineoplastic drug development. Of course we used tracers (tritiated thymadine) to make radioautographics. I had to account for every Curie of material, it would not have taken much Po210 because it is a tremendously powerful, once ingested the poor man had no chance. 13:42

Also they made a short series with David Tennant last year about this story, it’s truly heart breaking what they did to him.

@jasonhaman4670

Жыл бұрын

I hadn't heard of this. As a Doctor Who fan, I must find this. Thanks!

@fss1704

Жыл бұрын

I second jason

What madness is this? I have become disconnected from my sense of date and time? If this is Saturday what happened to the last three days? Lol, jk's actually quite a pleasant surprise thanks for the video. Your content is among the best on KZread!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Thank you and have a great week.

I appreciate you, thank you for making content.

Good morning John, thanks for the video as I listen and prep for work. Have a wonderful day!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

And you thank you!

I don't remember it being on the news cos I was too young, but I did properly hear about it around a decade afterwards. One of my science teachers showed us the video of the guy just before he died and then explain the effects of the poison, and what the dangers of different types radiation emitters can be.

A new PD... On a Wednesday? Perfect timing for lunchtime viewing :)

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Bon appetite

@neuralmute

Жыл бұрын

@@PlainlyDifficult Just as I'm making a nice cup of tea!

@SupersuMC

Жыл бұрын

@@neuralmute RIP...

Thanks for the video

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

10:55 "one of the pots at the bar showed considerable contamination". There has to have been collateral victims. It's hard to believe that the same tea pot had only been used with the intended victim. There may have been dozens of people contaminated.

@subject8332

Жыл бұрын

Tell them about the value of human lives :D

Aw hell yeah new Plainly Difficult video

I remember this well, good video!

Very interesting, thank you!

Man, imagine being that regular joe police officer, just doing your shift, and suddenly you’re being confronted by a KGB guy who wants asylum. Pretty sure they don’t train you for that. Hell of a story to bring home to dinner, though.

@HunterBidensHandgun

7 ай бұрын

That's also the main thing that stuck out to me in this story lmao. I would be stunned

Tony Bourdain made the funniest "They gave me the Litvinenko treatment" line, I just can't member which episode of No Reservations it was... maybe Romania.

Chilling stuff but really interesting video thanks.

Thank you for putting the cue mark up to warn of incoming ads- it makes the cut away so much less jarring.

The big question still remains: Why go through all the trouble (logistical, technical, forensic) of using radioactive poisoning to get rid of someone, when there are far quicker, easier and less-implicating ways to do it?

@DefiantSpurr

Жыл бұрын

Because it's a political flex, a pointed lesson to "the enemies of Russia". That they can be killed,and that Russian will use any means to do so. Typical Putin Thug politics.

@rsha_norkb

Жыл бұрын

indeed

@MrDwarfpitcher

6 ай бұрын

This feels barbaric. So it is probably to set an example to others as to say "We cannot be touched, but we can go after you"

Can you please cover japan’s *Water Purification Department Unit 731* ? And the work of Ken Albiek (head covert bioweaponeer who defected to the US). Just those two things will give us content for the rest of our lives

@lepusistlich6930

Жыл бұрын

YES!

An upload on a Wednesday? No complaints here. Cheers John !

John, Thank you for your content. o7

Goes back to the old, saying: “ Snitches get roentgens.”

so many comments already lol now to watch the upload and comment after

Loved it!

Science, History and True Crime? Yes please!

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Any time!!

Oh man, I worry about everyone who had tea out of that pot after he was poisoned

My minds been blown. I had NEVER considered the possibility of a radiation murder before hearing this video.

In 1973, I had a class with Nick Khokhlov, who was poisoned in 1956 (?) with what he thought was radio Thallium. Only much later I found the narrative in Wikipedia. This earlier event would be worth a PD episode.

I'm loving these radiation stories, but it scares the shit out of me how easily they administer it & how they have no thought for innocent people that may get caught up in it. At the moment we have the made for TV movie about Litvinenko. I'm going to watch it tomorrow/today

@subject8332

Жыл бұрын

They obviously thought about civilians getting hurt, they just don't give a flying fucking fuck about it.

@valeria-militiamessalina5672

6 ай бұрын

@@subject8332That is sheer evil, one of its faces.

There's a very insightful interview with his widow on KZread, on the LADbible channel (I'm told they used to make mostly cringey stuff, but now they make some amazing interview content, seriously top notch with fascinating individuals and then combinations of them discussing their lives together!) I'm still absolutely going to watch plainly's vid on it of course, just needed to comment this immediately upon finding this vid.

Aww man, I completely forgot about this story Wow, what a way to go

Just as you said a mid week upload. 👍🏻🇬🇧

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoyed it!

At least it’s not using VX in an airport…

@SupersuMC

Жыл бұрын

I don't want to know, but at the same time, I kind of want to... 😅

@AaronShenghao

10 ай бұрын

@@SupersuMC Look up NorthKorea Assisaasasasasasanation

11:07 Plutonium 210?

Subbed 🖤

Well, Salisbury has gotta be next i suppose🤫 Love the show man, My master of disaster🤙 Cheers from the Lowlands🇳🇱

Woohoo, new video. Goodbye work lol

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

:D😁

@stuyboi888

Жыл бұрын

@@PlainlyDifficult Love your videos!!! Keep up the great work and thank you for all the free content!!

You know what? Its good that eu banned planes from russia to come to eu airspace Why? Well rusian agents can put weapons in theyr luggage at russian airport because they are gov agents they wont be asked at security,and when you leave the plane you do not get searched... but if russian agents are forced to go to a non rusian airport to fly in eu they will be searched at secirity before boarding,so overal its a good anti terorism policity to ban russian air lines from entering eu

@lepusistlich6930

Жыл бұрын

This decision should have been made during the first day of war.

Thank you.

Thankyou! There's a new series with David tenet coming out about this!

Alpha radiation won't penetrate paper, so it would be hard to detect in the body. Plus, many cheap Geiger counters won't even detect it.

What suprises me is that no other people were contaminated by the teas pot and assosiated cutlery, which were likely still in use in the cafiteria over the next few days until taken away for disposal.

There was an amazing play about this in The Old Vic called ‘A Very Expensive Poison’ which had Reece Sheersmith playing Vladimir Putin. Strongly recommend if they ever do another run of it

@jerickfreyre

Жыл бұрын

Probably inspired by Luke Harding's book of the same title about the poisoning. It is a very interesting read.

I swear you already did a video on him? A few years ago? Did it get pulled? Am I going crazy? 😆

@PlainlyDifficult

Жыл бұрын

Yes yes yes and yes :P It was taken down due to a copyright claim so I decided to re edit and up-load a modernised version!

@nvelsen1975

Жыл бұрын

@@PlainlyDifficult Are you aware that false copyright claims are, legally speaking, fraud? It's quite possible to fight it if the claimant is in the UK or has legal treaties with the UK (such as the US). Easiest method is to turn it into a moneyclaim for damages. They'll ignore it, get a default judgement, transfer it to High Court for enforcement for 60 quid, watch the fireworks.

As everything in russia, “anti-terrorist division” and “prevention of organized crimes division” means “central terrorist committee” and “organized crimes division” accordingly.