Safety

We get asked about the radioactivity and overall safety of the periodic table from time to time. These are legitimate concerns and we wanted to address those concerns here. Although several elements in the periodic table are dangerous or toxic, the acrylic and glass ampules make the collection safe to handle and store.

The radiation from the uranium and thorium samples is extremely low. Autunite (uranium ore sample) has a radioactivity level of 0.01 mRem for a 2mm piece held in your hand for an hour. The average American is exposed to 0.034 mrem/hr from background radiation (300 mrem/year). In other words, a person will get three times the radiation from natural background radiation which includes the sun, food, radon, and the environment, than they will from holding the periodic table all day.

https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/around-us/doses-daily-lives.html