Everything Everywhere Daily · Monday, August 31, 2026
Following World War II, atmospheric nuclear testing by various nations injected radioactive particles into the stratosphere, slightly increasing global background radiation. This contamination affects modern steel production, leading to a demand for 'low background steel' made before 1945, often salvaged from shipwrecks.
“When the first atomic bomb was detonated, the world changed. And by that, I don't mean in a social or cultural sense, although that was certainly true. I mean it in a very literal and physical sense.”
“The result of these explosions was a slight increase in background radiation across the Earth.”
“Because ordinary steel can contain minute amounts of radiation, using exceptionally low radioactive steel reduces the background noise that might otherwise interfere with these measurements.”
“It has the lowest background radiation rates that you can reasonably find anywhere on Earth. Shipwrecks.”