# Tritium Vials + a common fire. A safety concern?



## Nite (Nov 22, 2009)

Recently a fellow CPFER I have known since high school obtained some tritium vials for his "shelf queen" lights...(rarely used and expensive)

I did some research and found tritium is quite commonly used for exit signs in case of power failure. Road signs. Gunsights, keychains. Flashlights! the Military uses them alot for marking things.

My GF the Lab rat she is uses Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation emitters and sources daily at the lab. Each type of radiation has a different source, and safety protocol.

Turns out the casing of the tritium vial is all that is needed to contain the dangerous beta particles coming off the tritium, while still allowing only mostly visible light to come thru the casing.

I bought some of these recently for my keychain, lights, and my security guard wanted a few.

I talked about it at the lab. They use the same type of plastic in their face shield when handling beta emitters. While their body is covered, they still have to see.

I spoke to the PHD and grad students at length and the only problem they see is if theres a common house fire and you have these in your home...Plastic melts in excessive heat and can actually burn in a fire. this would release all the tritium into the immediate surrounding areas contaminating the place where the fire was, and the tritium vial used to be. Heat would carry unstable tritium and beta particles up to the ceiling and wherever heat, smoke, water, and gravity, sent it.

Beta particles cannot pass thru skin or a tshirt even and arent that dangerous, but if they are ingested they can kill. they can be inhaled or swallowed unknowingly. think household dust particles but much smaller.

the worst case scenario would be inhaling or ingesting the tritium itself, not just the resulting beta particles. Ingestion most often happens if you have tritium on you and you eat or drink or smoke something before being decontaminated. Touching ones eyes, mouth, nose, or ears also can lead to ingestion. 

According to Wiki, I just found out it can be absorbed directly thru the skin.

if any vials burst, burned, or leaked as a result of a fire, anyone living in the area during or after the fire, you, and the firefighters if needed, would be exposed; from inhaling smoke or fighting the fire, or inspecting the damage. 


itd be a "dirty fire"

Putting some primary lithium batteries right next to a small amount of tritium is a small risk as if there was a lithium fueled fire it would burn very hot. 

we just saw a Cops flashlight explode all by itself with a great deal of fury and heat..good thing he didnt have a tritium vial attatched to this. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/247638

Just a thought. 

FYI: Beta particles are more dangerous than alpha particles but less dangerous than gamma rays.

Tritium is more dangerous to ingest or inhale than beta particles as it continues to produce more beta particles for 50 years or more.

I think this is why I am allowed to own, but not Re-sell these in the USA.

MY GF wanted me to add:



> The low energy of tritium's radiation makes it difficult to detect tritium-labelled compounds except by using liquid scintillation counting.
> AND
> As tritium is not a strong beta emitter, it is not dangerous externally, but it is a radiation hazard when inhaled, ingested via food, water, or absorbed through the skin


 (wikipedia)


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## Nos (Nov 22, 2009)

Short answer, no i am not concerned as i dont stock masses of vials.


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## Marduke (Nov 22, 2009)

Unless you directly ingest the gas as the vial is broken (it's a glass vial inside), there is no concern. Dissipation is extremely quick, and even if you suffered the "full force" of a vial, it is similar to the dose received of a number of chest X-ray's IIRC.

I would be interested however to know how you fair ingesting the superheated gas associated with the fire itself... 

The phrase "bigger problems to worry about" comes to mind.


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## Nite (Nov 22, 2009)

> What are the properties of tritium?
> 
> Tritium is a hydrogen atom that has two neutrons in the nucleus, in addition to its single proton, giving it an atomic weight near three. Although tritium can be a gas, its most common form is in water, because, like non-radioactive hydrogen, radioactive tritium reacts with oxygen to form water. Tritium replaces one of the stable hydrogens in the water molecule, H2O, and is called tritiated water (HTO). Like H2O, tritiated water is colorless and odorless. Tritium has a half-life of 12.3 years and emits a very weak beta particle.



http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/radionuclides/tritium.html

So My GF, speaking over my shoulder telling me what to google...says that when the gas is exposed to oxygen it likes to combine with the air in the room to become "tritiated water" 

"So when the gas hits the air in the room, it can become liquid.
This is now easily absorbed into the body, and once it becomes part of your body it will continue to emit beta particles..... "



> How does tritium change in the environment?
> 
> *Tritium readily forms water when exposed to oxygen.* As it undergoes radioactive decay, tritium emits a very low energy beta particle and transforms to stable, nonradioactive helium. Tritium has a half-life of 12.3 years.
> 
> ...



She wont let me have this stuff in the house!:sigh:

but I told her



> Health Effects of Tritium
> How does tritium affect people's health?
> 
> As with all ionizing radiation, exposure to tritium increases the risk of developing cancer. However, because it emits very low energy radiation and leaves the body relatively quickly, for a given amount of activity ingested, tritium is one of the least dangerous radionuclides. Since tritium is almost always found as water, it goes directly into soft tissues and organs. The associated dose to these tissues are generally uniform and dependent on the tissues' water content.



Its because I want to have something like this:https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3164172&postcount=65


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## Sgt. LED (Nov 22, 2009)

Tastes good.


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## StarHalo (Nov 22, 2009)

From the last "When Tritium Attacks" thread:



StarHalo said:


> Should it break: The actual radioactive component in the vial is an isotope of hydrogen, which is much lighter than air; the tiny amount gas would immediately disperse and float away. Even if you were standing directly over a freshly broken vial, odds are the gas would be too dispersed for even a single molecule to reach your breathing space. If the vial were in your hand or pocket - again, it's a radioactive gas and not solid or fluid, it would simply float off and away, no more glow from your vial.
> 
> Worst case scenario: You break the vial on a table/desk, then IMMEDIATELY cup your hands around the vial and _place your face directly over it_ and *inhale deeply.* If this were to happen, you'd receive as much radiation as ...a dental x-ray.
> 
> That's the beauty of the tritium vial design, rather than relying on the radioactive substance itself to glow, it uses a strong phosphor that glows brightly with very little energy, so you can use a remarkably weak source of radioactivity to produce a glow. The beta radiation that comes off of a tritium vial cannot penetrate tissue paper, and can only make it about a quarter inch from the vial in open air before dissipating. It's so weak that even if you were to set a Geiger Counter on its most sensitive setting, then press the probe directly onto the vial, it would not register a reading at all.



Also, regarding ingestion of tritium, you might want to look up the radioactive properties of bananas and nuts; you eat radiation all the time..


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## Nite (Nov 22, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> From the last "When Tritium Attacks" thread:
> 
> Also, regarding ingestion of tritium, you might want to look up the radioactive properties of bananas and nuts; you eat radiation all the time..



Yes, we ingest alot of tritium thru what the epa calls "safe levels" everyday, im sad to say, by drinking our tapwater. Thats what happens when its produced Commercially in huge reactors in huge quantites for Our nuclear defense.



> What is tritium used for?
> 
> Tritium has several important uses. *Its most significant use is as a component in the triggering mechanism in thermonuclear (fusion) weapons. Very large quantities of tritium are required for the maintenance of our nation's nuclear weapons capabilities.*
> 
> ...



and the Beta particles are thrown off very slowly..thats why it wont register..it looks like background radiation to a geiger counter. If it broke open im sure the geiger counter would register a few beta particles, indistinguishable from background radiation. It requires a scintillation detector to find tritium. 

The beta particles shouldnt even be able to penetrate the plastic shell on the glass vial.

However if you breathe it in some of it will become liquid in your lungs...it will take a few months to leave your system unless it bonds to some other organic molecule.

its good to know that its a gas that will go up like natural gas and not accumulate.

It looks like im getting more tritium from food and water here than in any vials that I might have around...that might break..


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## Marduke (Nov 22, 2009)

You are probably exposed to more radiation from the potassium in a banana than tritium in the water you drink...

BTW, you don't live in a brick house do you??


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## post tenebras (Nov 22, 2009)

Thank you for posting this, Nite!

Looks like the CPF community is as callous to the health risks of tritium in vials as they are to the health risks of nanoparticles in lubricants.


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## Size15's (Nov 22, 2009)

IMHO, this scenario is like worrying about poisoning from contact with lead-based paint on a vehicle hitting you at 70mph.

But lets look at how Tritium vials are considered in England & Wales from the perspective of use and storage according to the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.

First some terminology:

*GTLD* = gaseous tritium light device defined as an illuminant, instrument, sign or indicator which contains tritium gas in robust sealed containers, is constructed to withstand normal use and contains no other radioactive material

*GTLS* = A sealed container [such as a glass vial] of tritium gas forming part of a GTLD

*Essentially, if you purchase a GTLD you can keep it and use it without registering it.*
This assumes that you have purchased the GTLD that has been manufactured and/or imported 'legally'. I think this means no single device can have more than about twenty (20) of the Class B GTLS vials [email protected] uses for his TiGlow. These vials appear to be the most Tritium we 'play with'.

*What about Storage?*
In England and Wales, premises used for storage or supply of smaller GTLDs ("small" = Class A, less than 20 GBq) are exempt from registration up to a total holding of 5 TBq; this implies that at least 250 small GTLDs may be held without registration.

I understand normal Tritium vials (traditional Glowring sized) contain in the order of 25 millicuries (mCi) or <1 GBq. 
If this is correct *you could hold up to 5000 (five thousand) Glowrings without registering for an exemption under RSA 93.*

All the vials used in a watch [made for the USA market] contain up to a total of 25 mCi unless its a Ball "T" which means it could contain up to 100 mCi.
*You could hold up to 1351 "T" Ball Watches!*

[email protected]'s High Pressure vials used in his TiGlow contain upwards of 1 Ci or ~40-50 GBq. This is not considered to be a "small" GTLD. It is Class B (a GTLD of total activity less that 1TBq and a maximum in each GTLS of 80 GBq).
This means storage for sale or hire of these requires registration. 
*You can keep and use a Class B GTLD without registration.*

*What about if I use Tritium vials to make or modify a device such as create my own keyring or add them to a flashlight?*
If you manufacturer, create or modify a device (GTLD) using a source (GTLS) regardless of its Class, you should take a look here and consider seeking expert advice or contacting the Environment Agency directly.
I suspect that the causal modder using Tritium vials for his own ends, working with a small number of vials will be treated differently from somebody selling creations either made or modified.
At the very least you should consider the scale of your 'activity' and take any suitable precautions not to harm yourself, others or the environment.

*How does all this relate back to the 'fire scenario'?*
Given the quantities and numbers referenced above I conclude that the tiny amount of Tritium in small vials we have for personal use poses no appreciable risk in any realistic reasonably foreseeable scenario involving fire.

Al
[written with my Flashaholic hat on]


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## Qoose (Nov 22, 2009)

Don't forget that flying a couple of times will also subject you to a mSv or two of radiation.

Or just get your hands on a copy of the Fallout series of games. Then you will only get afraid when you are swimming in a radiated lake.


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## Nite (Nov 22, 2009)

Marduke said:


> You are probably exposed to more radiation from the potassium in a banana than tritium in the water you drink...
> 
> BTW, you don't live in a brick house do you??



if you spent thirty days working in grand central station, thats one chest xray per month......the granite is mildly radioactive.
Airline pilots get way more.

I wanna order some more trit rings..bart is maybe the best source. he never lost a shipment.

I think I got one from DX or some other Site.


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## Nite (Nov 22, 2009)

Size15's said:


> IMHO, this scenario is like worrying about poisoning from contact with lead-based paint on a vehicle hitting you at 70mph.
> 
> -edit-
> 
> ...



thanks!lovecpf


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## Nite (Nov 22, 2009)

post tenebras said:


> Thank you for posting this, Nite!
> 
> Looks like the CPF community is as callous to the health risks of tritium in vials as they are to the health risks of nanoparticles in lubricants.



WTH? Nanoparticles? Dangerous?


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## StarHalo (Nov 22, 2009)

post tenebras said:


> Looks like the CPF community is as callous to the health risks of tritium in vials as they are to the health risks of nanoparticles in lubricants.



In order for tritium to pose a risk, you must first have a vial break, then have the vial somewhere near your face, then inhale deeply in the area immediately near the vial. Out of all the tritium lights and fobs owned here on CPF, I've never once heard of any such event. Most flashaholics are rightfully more concerned about battery venting.

And the only way to ingest nanoparticles is to not wash your hands after lubing your light, or deliberately rub your fingers all over your slimy lubed threads, and then go eat finger foods; and again, I don't know of any CPFer who has done either..


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## Marduke (Nov 22, 2009)

post tenebras said:


> Thank you for posting this, Nite!
> 
> Looks like the CPF community is as callous to the health risks of tritium in vials as they are to the health risks of nanoparticles in lubricants.



I think it is more of a matter of the CPF community being thoroughly educated enough to realize the LACK of a health risk associated with tritium.


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 23, 2009)

Size15's said:


> IMHO, this scenario is like worrying about poisoning from contact with lead-based paint on a vehicle hitting you at 70mph.



Oh crap. Now I'm going to have lead paint nightmares. What happened to the good old days where you could just get hit broadside by a 70mph vehicle and be done with it?


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 23, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> And the only way to ingest nanoparticles is to not wash your hands after lubing your light, or deliberately rub your fingers all over your slimy lubed threads, and then go eat finger foods; and again, I don't know of any CPFer who has done either..



Chicken McNuggets don't count, right?


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## Nite (Nov 23, 2009)

so the tritium is safe...but ive been poisoning myself with nanoparticles if i havent washed my hands each time I used flashlight lube?

I mean I usually do especially if i get any lubricant on me, And I try not to get that stuff on me...used or new.

what kind of nanoparticle?:candle:
:thinking:


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## Sgt. LED (Nov 23, 2009)

The kind chip weevils breed in.


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## Nite (Nov 23, 2009)

Sgt. LED said:


> The kind chip weevils breed in.



thanks!

Found it!

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3088383&postcount=6

thats scary stuff.....wish I knew this sooner

I get a micro bit of this on me everytime I change my cells...sometimes I cant wash my hands after.


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## Launch Mini (Nov 23, 2009)

I think you would have more of a concern with all those CFL with mercury burning up & releasing mercury vapours.:sick2:


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## Sgt. LED (Nov 23, 2009)

STOP! LOL

You're going to give him a seizure.


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## StarHalo (Nov 23, 2009)

LuxLuthor said:


> Chicken McNuggets don't count, right?



Feed 'em to the dog, the lube helps prevent seizing..


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## Beamhead (Nov 23, 2009)

I think people in PA have more to worry about. 

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7131935


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## gsxrac (Nov 23, 2009)

Ahhhhh America the beautiful. I swear if I ever wanted to start a company in the US it would be one that sold sterilized clear inhabitable bubbles! Seriously Dont worry about it, if it was that hazardous to your health it wouldnt be so easily obtainable and you would hear far more about it through the news. And really I bet you every person that has posted in this thread has done something far more dangerous and detrimental to their health today... drive a car? smoke a cig? eat at McD's? 

So should we bring up the point that Incandescent flashlights put out IR that is bad for you too? Time to toss out all them incans I guess? Not to mention shining a 200+lm light in your eyes on a regular basis CANT be good for your eyes... Rasie your hand if you honestly havent done this in the last week? 

Live a little, and enjoy them trits! And to the OP I would suggest hiding the trit filled lights from your GF but I guess she might find them at the most inopportune time.... when the lights go out oo:


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## StarHalo (Nov 23, 2009)

It's interesting that the forum that's oh-so-concerned about where their flashlights are made never asks where the tritium comes from. (What's the Chinese word for "reactor"?)


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## Size15's (Nov 23, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> It's interesting that the forum that's oh-so-concerned about where their flashlights are made never asks where the tritium comes from. (What's the Chinese word for "reactor"?)


The vials are made in Switzerland but from Chinese made Tritium?
Interesting if true... I assumed that the Tritium was produced in Switzerland also.
That said, I heard the Titanium for the SR71 Blackbirds front landing gear was from the USSR/Russia...


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## leukos (Nov 23, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> In order for tritium to pose a risk, you must first have a vial break, then have the vial somewhere near your face, then inhale deeply in the area immediately near the vial. Out of all the tritium lights and fobs owned here on CPF, I've never once heard of any such event.


 
Hopefully tritium studded teeth braces don't catch on with teenagers.....


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## Jay R (Nov 23, 2009)

gsxrac said:


> Not to mention shining a 200+lm light in your eyes on a regular basis CANT be good for your eyes... Rasie your hand if you honestly havent done this in the last week?


 






( Well, a day or two. Perhaps since last night.)


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## Chrontius (Nov 23, 2009)

Yes, it's a life threatening safety concern - you should quickly exit the building before you burn to death. 

Ask a silly question...


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## Beamhead (Nov 23, 2009)

IMPORTANT NOTICE any who possess a light with tritium on/installed in it send them to me immediately!

I will dispose of them in a proper manner.:tinfoil:


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## Nite (Nov 23, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> IMPORTANT NOTICE any who possess a light with tritium on/installed in it send them to me immediately!
> 
> I will dispose of them in a proper manner.:tinfoil:



this light must be disposed of immediately, but by me!


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## gsxrac (Nov 23, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> IMPORTANT NOTICE any who possess a light with tritium on/installed in it send them to me immediately!
> 
> I will dispose of them in a proper manner.:tinfoil:



Beamhead I also have a safe disposal facility in place so if you run out of room they can send all those uber dangerous trits and trit filled lights to me for proper disposal :tinfoil: I also hear that if Tritium is mixed with Titanium it can be EXTREMELY dangerous and those light should be sent to me IMMEDIATELY!


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## Beamhead (Nov 23, 2009)

gsxrac, if you can convince those who buy flashlights to pay a "redemption fee" up front then enforce and collect said fee, perhaps we can be partners.


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## gsxrac (Nov 23, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> gsxrac, if you can convince those who buy flashlights to pay a "redemption fee" up front then enforce and collect said fee, perhaps we can be partners.



Hey most companies charge big bucks for hazardous material disposal maybe we can find out a general ballpark for what they charge and then we will charge a mere half of what they do!!! Just because we are nice guys and we dont want to rip off out CPF friends now do we


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## Essexman (Nov 23, 2009)

IF they are green Tritium Vials in said fire you will turn into the hulk for sure. :tinfoil:


.


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## fyrstormer (Nov 23, 2009)

Beta particles are just high-energy electrons. The vials are effectively self-powered cathode-ray tubes, nothing more. The only radiation danger comes from the fact that the tritium, being a beta-emitter, would continue to ionize surrounding molecules for the next few years if it integrated with your body chemistry -- but you would almost certainly breathe it right back out after you breathed it in.

Alpha-emitters and gamma-emitters are much more dangerous than beta-emitters, because alpha particles are pairs of protons and neutrons which can change the chemical composition of molecules in your body by fusing with their nuclei, and gamma rays can slice DNA in half. Beta radiation is trivial by comparison.


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## Hogokansatsukan (Nov 23, 2009)

I've broken several tritium vials and it has not seemed to effect me.
http://funpho.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/deformed-face.jpg


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## Justintoxicated (Nov 23, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> In order for tritium to pose a risk, you must first have a vial break, then have the vial somewhere near your face, then inhale deeply in the area immediately near the vial. Out of all the tritium lights and fobs owned here on CPF, I've never once heard of any such event. Most flashaholics are rightfully more concerned about battery venting.
> 
> And the only way to ingest nanoparticles is to not wash your hands after lubing your light, or deliberately rub your fingers all over your slimy lubed threads, and then go eat finger foods; and again, I don't know of any CPFer who has done either..



I have done both.

Lubed my flashlight with nano oil. It's a twisty so it can easily get on your fingers when using the light. I may have even spilled a little on my finger, and forgot to wash my hands before I ate. I did not even know it was a serious health risk in such a small dose.

I have also boken a small tritium vial installing it into a slot it didn't quite fit, as I was standing over it, I likely breathed some of it in.


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## Sgt. LED (Nov 23, 2009)

And there you are sitting alive and well in CA!

Amazing 

Are you a mutant with super healing properties like Wolverine or is this a miracle?


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## lightplay22 (Nov 23, 2009)

I think I'll just take a little shot of nano oil... If it helps my mobility as much as it helped my twisties, I'd probably feel 30 years younger!


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## csshih (Nov 23, 2009)

when inhaled, ingested, etc, the gas will become tritiated water and pass through your urine relatively quickly -- quickly enough not to cause harm.. you'd be more worried about the effects of the base element -- hydrogen, but we are talking about quantities that are much too low to be worried about.


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 24, 2009)

Justintoxicated said:


> I have done both.
> 
> Lubed my flashlight with nano oil. It's a twisty so it can easily get on your fingers when using the light. I may have even spilled a little on my finger, and forgot to wash my hands before I ate. I did not even know it was a serious health risk in such a small dose.
> 
> I have also boken a small tritium vial installing it into a slot it didn't quite fit, as I was standing over it, I likely breathed some of it in.


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## lightplay22 (Nov 24, 2009)

LOL! Somebody save me!


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## XRAYBoY (Nov 24, 2009)

They are dangerous in a fire, but so are many other products.
Something as simple and secure as a fishing line nylon in contact with fire can shut down your lungs 
(you can try it if you want to experience a hard time,but better not...) :sick2:

It's good to warn about security risks, but IMMO I see some paranoia with this "atomic" issue...


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## StarHalo (Nov 24, 2009)

"Thank god these tactical flashlights don't have tritium!"


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## LuxLuthor (Nov 24, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> "Thank god these tactical flashlights don't have tritium!"



You do realize that this started when for some inexplicable reason, they first doused themselves in Nano-Oil. It then spontaneously nano-combusted upon contact with rayon in the one guy's socks.


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## lightplay22 (Nov 25, 2009)

According to post #44, nano-oil should be used carefully when used as eye drops! LOL

I guess using nano-oil as a flame retardant works because the flame just slides off and does no damage?


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## RAGE CAGE (Nov 25, 2009)

LuxLuthor said:


> Chicken McNuggets don't count, right?


 

Correct- the oil they use to fry them in - 5w20 Synthetic- neutralizes the nanoparticles. Would you like fries with that?


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## hank (Nov 25, 2009)

Don Klipstein covers LED eye damage risks here recently:
http://sci.tech-archive.net/Archive/sci.electronics.design/2006-05/msg03877.html

Of course the LEDs are much smaller and brighter per square millimeter now than then.


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## Illum (Nov 25, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> Also, regarding ingestion of tritium, you might want to look up the radioactive properties of bananas and nuts; you eat radiation all the time..



Most people don't believe that a fruit high in potassium also exhibit radiation output from potassium decay, specifically K-40, which has a half life of 1.25 billion years. The average banana contains around 450 mg of potassium and will experience about 14 decays each second, but don't worry... to get enough for a full dose of a chest xray you'll have to stuff in about 600 bananas

One out of every 8,550 potassium atoms is radioactive potassium-40, meaning that all food you stuff in daily emits a little bit of radiation.

Buy yourself a cheap Geiger counter and walk into your cellar, if there's radon seeping from natural radioactive decay in the soil, you'll know :nana:


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## hank (Nov 25, 2009)

Remember this old thread?
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/182585
Funny how that never happened. It couldn't have been anything but tritium, despite the claims.

> Buy yourself a cheap Geiger counter and walk into your cellar, if there's radon seeping 
> from natural radioactive decay in the soil, you'll know

Funny too! 
But funny because you wouldn't find radon that way, for sure -- whether it's present or not.

http://www.epa.gov/radon/whereyoulive.html
http://www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html
http://www.epa.gov/radon/healthrisks.html


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## enforcer (Nov 25, 2009)

If any of you have any tritium lights on torches or vials etc. And are over concerned about the safety in a fire.

You could always buy a dry chemical powder fire extinguisher (Class D) as they can be used to put out metal fires.
And a full face mask with a P3 particle filter protecting against P3 for solid and liquid particles, radioactive and toxic particles, bacteria and viruses.


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## Nite (Nov 25, 2009)

StarHalo said:


> "Thank god these tactical flashlights don't have tritium!"



whered that great photo come from? a constable! Molotov cocktailed!




enforcer said:


> If any of you have any tritium lights on torches or vials etc. And are over concerned about the safety in a fire.
> 
> You could always buy a dry chemical powder fire extinguisher (Class D) as they can be used to put out metal fires.
> And a full face mask with a P3 particle filter protecting against P3 for solid and liquid particles, radioactive and toxic particles, bacteria and viruses.



finally some good advice!:twothumbs


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## bluepilgrim (Nov 25, 2009)

There is an involved procedure which must be done to cleanup if you break a glass bulb with tritium in it....

(Oh, no -- wait -- this is for a CFL light bulb...) 


http://energystar.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/energystar.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2655


. Before Clean-up: Ventilate the Room

Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:

Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:
[...]


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## Fulgeo (Nov 30, 2009)

LuxLuthor said:


> Oh crap. Now I'm going to have lead paint nightmares. What happened to the good old days where you could just get hit broadside by a 70mph vehicle and be done with it?



A little late on my part but


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## StarHalo (Nov 30, 2009)

LuxLuthor said:


> What happened to the good old days where you could just get hit broadside by a 70mph vehicle and be done with it?



Help is on the way! (Thank god these firefighter flashlights don't have tritium!)


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## doktor_x (Nov 30, 2009)

As a former radiochemist, I'd be more concerned with the negative effects on well-being caused by the fire itself as well as the collection of cleaning agents found in the cabinet below a typical kitchen sink. While it's good to be aware of potential dangers in one's surroundings, worst case scenarios aren't worth losing sleep over. Just have a good idea of what's being dealt with and treat it accordingly. All else is alarmist nonsense, IMO.


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## Nite (Nov 30, 2009)

OK OK I guess they are relatively safe (and my GF is overblowing her response as a result of her lab training.)

She hasnt seen tritium vials before, I have...

At least I learned more about how they work.

And that there is only a lighter than air gas and no powder inside.


I think the way the the light is produced is clever. Like an old tv screen. With beta particles instead of electrons.

Also we have evolved to withstand and even repair some damage to our DNA from Background solar radiation, and radioactive elements breaking down all around us and in our food. However the levels of background radiation has been raised by human activity. Human activity has done alot too raise the levels of radiation we absorb though, like flying at high altitudes.. Im shocked to find tritium is winding up in landfills and leaching into drinking water...
Its interesting that its used for a nuclear trigger in Hbombs and is produced by the ton. However thats alot of radioactive waste to deal with if it has to be replaced every 12 years. Maybe they can use it to make tritium vials!

Lets just hope like many other inventions of days gone by there isnt some unknown future danger that was completely unforseen, like exit signs in your local dump contaminating the water you drink.


When they were painting radium onto watch dials, and the girls even had to lick the paint brushes for fine detail....anyone who said that might be unsafe was ridiculed and made fun of until, thankfully, his detractors all died of radium exposure. Many people wearing those watches also got sick as they were worn for decades.

but hey its 50 years later and weve evolved into a society so perfect that all human errors have been removed from the human equation. No more do we produce harmful chemicals and bring them into our homes with sometimes unforseen, unpredictable, sometimes catastrophic, results.  Its true that new chemicals are getting into our house faster and with sometimes with less testing, especially when it comes to testing over long periods of time. (like Dok X said, under the kitchen sink. *and in my garage.)

Now i have to go remove all lead paint from my home...Check for radon, maybe check for some toxic mold. 
I wanna make sure my lubricants have no nano particles. And never touch used motor oil, PCBs...

and dont use the pharmacy pen. Germs.

im never leaving the house again...I could get hit by a fire truck!

Gonna order some fried chicken delivery ...oh no! cholesterol! 

MY best friend the doctor says never use any aerosols, ever...if it can be avoided...if you dont have protection.
I guess I should've left the room when I used that bug bomb this summer.:laughing: I liked its Fruity scent.


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## joema (Nov 30, 2009)

Nite said:


> OK OK I guess they are relatively safe (and my GF is overblowing her response as a result of her lab training.)...


They are extremely safe. You must differentiate between the risk of a substance in general, vs that substance at a given exposure level. E.g, arsenic is poisonous, yet many foods contain trace amounts of arsenic. 

Likewise tritium vials are radioactive, but our bodies are daily bombarded by all kinds of radioactivity. How much radioactivity is in a tritium vial, and what are the health consequences of injesting or inhaling the contents?

NRC max allowable occupational tritium exposure (via inhalation or ingestion): 80 millicuries/year. 

A tritium-dial watch (e.g, Luminox) contains about 5 tritium vials totaling about 25 millicuries, so you'd need to break and inhale 100% of the tritium in about 15 vials to approach this limit.

Committed Effective Dose Equivalent (CEDE) in soft tissue is 64 mrem per millicurie (mCi) ingested.

So radiation absorbed from breaking and inhaling 100% of the tritium in approx 5 vials (total 25 millicuries, the amt in a watch) is:

64 mrem * 25 millicuries = 1600 millirem

That's not insignificant, but it's less than a frequent flier or airline flight attendant may absorb EACH YEAR. Note we're talking about a worst case scenario -- breaking several tritium vials under your nose while you simultaneously inhale. 

In actuality if you broke a few tritium vials you'd probably only inhale a tiny fraction of that amount. The gas quickly disperses.

If you worked in a factory manufacturing tritium vials and fell into a bin of them, breaking hundreds of vials, that might be a problem.

However for the average person breaking an occasional tritium vial is much less radiation exposure than making cross country airline flights or living in a high radon house.

That said, Some LCD watches in the 1970s used tritium illuminated displays containing 200 millicuries of tritium, eight times the current limit. If they were still made I'd be a little more cautious about handling them. But current watches and tritium vials have such tiny radiation for the most part I wouldn't worry about it.


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## divine (Nov 30, 2009)

joema, how does a 3x23 vial stand in comparison? Your example of a tritium watch uses very very small tritium vials, and I'd guess contains less than half the tritium in a 3x23 vial.

Not trying to be a pain in the butt, just curious. Thanks.


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## joema (Dec 1, 2009)

divine said:


> joema, how does a 3x23 vial stand in comparison? Your example of a tritium watch uses very very small tritium vials, and I'd guess contains less than half the tritium in a 3x23 vial...


Good question; I don't know the answer. You'd have to get the millicurie value for the 3x23 vial. I'm sure the mfg has that information.


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