Long before viral challenges existed, American nuclear chemist Galen Winsor shocked audiences with one of the most controversial demonstrations in nuclear history – publicly claiming to consume uranium to prove his belief that the dangers of radiation were being overstated.
Winsor’s career in the nuclear field began in the 1950s at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington. There, he oversaw the measurement, storage, and control of nuclear fuel – including the processing of plutonium. Over time, he became a vocal critic of what he considered excessive government regulation of the industry, delivering speeches across the US, appearing on radio, and producing videos to challenge the public perception of nuclear risks.
In 1985, during a lecture in the Northwestern United States, Winsor held up a bottle containing what he identified as radioactive uranium oxide. Despite the dangerous-sounding name, he assured his audience that it posed no serious threat in the quantities he handled. Then, in a moment that left the crowd stunned, he appeared to place the material into his mouth.
“What I’ve just done makes me high-level nuclear waste… According to federal regulations, they’ll have to bury me 3,000 feet underground,” Winsor joked as the audience reacted in disbelief.
The footage has since resurfaced multiple times on platforms like YouTube and Twitter, reigniting debate over whether the stunt was genuine or staged. While some viewers see him as a bold truth-teller, experts warn that ingesting uranium is highly dangerous. According to HowStuffWorks, just 25 milligrams can severely damage the kidneys, and 50 milligrams could be lethal.
Winsor continued speaking publicly for years after the incident and lived until the age of 82, passing away in 2008. His exact cause of death was never revealed, but his “uranium-eating” moment remains one of the most talked-about events in nuclear science history.
