MEASURE RADIATION FROM RADIUM WATCHES SERIES

Radioactive antiques can continue to emit very low-levels of radiation for thousands of years, if not longer. Cloisonné jewelry gets some of its yellow, orange and off-white colors from small amounts of uranium in the glaze.It also makes the glass glow bright green under a black light. This gives the glass its yellow-green color. Vaseline glass, or canary glass, contains a small amount of uranium.Ceramics made until the 1970s may have glazes colored with radionuclides.Clocks, watches and dials that glow-in-the-dark without the use of a battery may contain radium or tritium.Certain radioactive materials were used in antiques because of their unique color. Some antiques were made and sold before scientists fully understood the health effects of radiation. Antiques that contain radioactive materials are usually not a health risk if they are in good condition.Īlong with furniture, clothing, jewelry, dishes, and other treasures sold at thrift stores and antique shops, you might find some items that contain radioactive material.

Antiques containing radioactive material may continue to emit very low-levels of radiation for thousands of years, if not longer.

Certain radioactive materials were used in antiques because of their unique color.Panels in airplanes, military instruments, and compasses. Of the luminous paints used for watch and clock dials, intrument With other metals as a neutron source for research and radiation Radium has been used as a radiation sourceįor treating cancer, in radiography of metals, and combined Beta particles can penetrate through your skin,īut they cannot go all the way through your body. Alpha particlesĬan travel only a short distance and cannot travel through During the decay process,Īlpha, beta, and gamma radiation are released. The dividing of daughters continues until a stable, Is not stable, and it also divides into radiation and anotherĭaughter. In the environment are radium-226 and radium-228.ĭivides into two parts-one part is called radiation and the Uranium and thorium are found in small amounts Radium is formed when uranium and thorium break down in theĮnvironment. Radioactive metal that can exist in several forms called isotopes. Radium is a naturally occurring silvery-white This chemical has been found in at least 18 of the 1,177 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Exposure to high levels results in an increased risk of bone, liver, and breast cancer. Radium is a radioactive substance formed from the breakdown of uranium and thorium. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present. It is important you understand this information because this substance may harm you.

MEASURE RADIATION FROM RADIUM WATCHES SERIES

This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous substances and their health effects. For more information, you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-80. This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions about radium.

Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?.

Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to radium?.

What happens to radium when it enters the environment?.

Measure radiation from radium watches