Would you buy your child a gift that comes with uranium ore and a Geiger counter? It might sound absurd today, but in post-WWII America, the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab was seen as the pinnacle of educational toys. Marketed as a way to inspire budding nuclear scientists, it was bold, fascinating—and deeply hazardous. With radioactive materials included in the box, it became known as “the most dangerous toy of all time” in 2006.
Fast forward to December 2024, and one of these relics just sold for $16,000 at auction. While it’s easy to laugh at the audacity of its creators (A.C. Gilbert - developer of the erector set), it raises a serious question: Are today’s science kits really any safer?
The Atomic Toy Problem: Then and Now
In the wake of World War II, science was thrilling, and public fascination with atomic energy was at an all-time high. Products like the Atomic Energy Lab fed into this cultural excitement, but they also reflected a lack of understanding—or concern—about the hazards and potential risks involved.
This isn’t the first time current events in science have spurred inquiry and excitement among scientists and learners. Think back to Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite and the flurry of attempts to improve it. There are documented cases of students and teachers experimenting with explosives in their school labs or even at home in their garages—often with devastating consequences. During the space race, children turned their curiosity to at-home rockets, sparking both innovation and accidents. Today, with advances in AI, nano-, and biotechnology, the opportunities for exploration are endless, but they come with an ever-growing list of new hazards that could result in increased risks for our students.
Unfortunately, that same spirit of engagement-over-safety lingers today. Many modern science kits contain chemicals, glassware, and reactive metals, yet they’re marketed like toys. Unlike most children’s products, science kits lack consistent safety standards or regulatory oversight. This means parents, teachers, and young scientists are often left to navigate these new risks on their own.
Safety Mindset: Starting Early
At LSI, we believe that every breakthrough starts with a safe space to explore. But fostering that safe space requires more than disclaimers and warnings on a box. It demands a mindset that values preparation, respect for hazards, and thoughtful planning - and this mindset needs to be fostered early.
A recent article from ACS Chemical Health & Safety points to habitual risk-taking in labs, linking it to bad practices and attitudes ingrained at a young age. When science kits are treated as toys, we miss an opportunity to build habits that prioritize safety. Instead, we’re perpetuating risky behaviors that could follow students into their professional lives.
So if we are going to foster the next generation of STEM leaders to have a safety mindset, then we should probably consider setting a foundation with the following considerations for our future STEM kits:
- Engaging Safety Materials: Every science kit should include interactive safety guides and videos that not only educate but also engage. These materials should incorporate safety contracts signed by parents and teachers to ensure everyone understands the hazards and risks. Documentation of this process should be maintained by the manufacturers - all technology and capabilities available within smart phone apps.
- Clear Messaging: Science kits aren’t toys; they’re learning tools. Teaching children, parents, and teachers this distinction is critical to building a culture of safer science.
- Safety Isn’t About Limitations: We need to change the rhetoric around safety discussions. When we understand hazards and associated risks, we empower people to explore more confidently and creatively - and manufacturers of STEM kits should take the lead in demonstrating how their products can enable safe inquiry-based learning.
Why This Matters
The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab might feel like a relic of the past, but its story remains relevant today. The lack of safety oversight for such a hazardous product mirrors the challenges we still face with modern science kits. Behaviors, good or bad, start young. When kids learn to treat safety as an essential part of exploration, they carry that mindset into adulthood and their future careers. But if we ignore this opportunity (or if we don't see this as an opportunity), we risk perpetuating bad habits and unnecessary risks in labs and classrooms.
It’s time to treat science kits with the respect they deserve, holding manufacturers accountable for clear safety standards and empowering parents and teachers to model good practices. After all, the future of STEM depends not just on curiosity, but also on safer behaviors—and the balance between the two is where discovery thrives.
Want to raise the next generation of STEM leaders? Let’s start by giving them the safe spaces they need to explore.
Read the full article from ACS here: Graduate Students’ Tolerance of Habitual Risk-Taking Behaviors in Chemical-Related Majors: A Case Study | ACS Chemical Health & Safety