# Health aspect of tritium vials?



## rosso (Feb 7, 2006)

*I just bought one of these without actually looking up how this thing works. Well I just asked my friend Google and it came up with low level Beta emissions? Radiation? Woah man, I dont wanna get cancer...etc. Are these things safe? Do you guys have them? What if the glass breaks and your subjected to the gas? I got loads of kids to have yet I dont wanna die young...etc.*


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## Unforgiven (Feb 7, 2006)

If you do a search for tritium on the forums you will find much information. They are considered very safe.


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## Radio (Feb 7, 2006)

If you feel that uncomfortable with it, PM me and I would be more than happy to take it off your hands, then you have no worries


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## Flash_Gordon (Feb 7, 2006)

Yes, Tritium is H3, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Tritium is used in watches, gunsights, exit signs and any number of other items.

The hazard is minimal. As long as you don't plan on breaking and ingesting the contents of a number of the vials there is no real danger.

Mark


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## Morelite (Feb 7, 2006)

rosso said:


> *I just bought one of these without actually looking up how this thing works. Well I just asked my friend Google and it came up with low level Beta emissions? Radiation? Woah man, I dont wanna get cancer...etc. Are these things safe? Do you guys have them? What if the glass breaks and your subjected to the gas? I got loads of kids to have yet I dont wanna die young...etc.*


 
They are perfectly safe, the Beta emissions are so weak they can't even penatrate a piece of paper let alone your skin or the glass vial. If one does break, the tritium will dilute in the air very fast. You get more radiation from a cell phone than you would breaking a whole handfull of these in your hand.


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## UVvis (Feb 7, 2006)

Tritium is really safe. Spills are generally painted over and called good. 

There are many different types of radiation, beta emissions are not really the mutation/cancer causing ones. 

Technically your flashlights put out radiation, and your eyes are radiation detectors.


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## rosso (Feb 7, 2006)

So how comes they are Illegal in USA?

QUOTE:" however in the USA they are not legal to sell"

http://torchreviews.net/glowrings.htm


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## carrot (Feb 7, 2006)

rosso said:


> So how comes they are Illegal in USA?


The USA considers tritium keychains a "trivial use of tritium."



> Tritium key chains are banned in the US as a "frivolous" use of tritium, but you can legally buy location markers and such like provided you certify that they will be permanently affixed in a stationary location, which is registered with the government. My Periodic Table is such a registered location now, and the marker you see here is screwed down with three spanner-head tamper-proof screws per manufacturers recommendation. (Those frivolous Europeans do not have such limitations, and you can freely buy tritium key chains, tritium fishing lures, probably tritium bellybutton rings if you look hard enough.)
> - http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/001/index.s7.html


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## James S (Feb 7, 2006)

more info on the banning, what they are worried about is the cleanup later. One or 2 in your pocket is no problem, but several million in a land fill is a different matter.

Anybody producing tritium light sources larger than the pin prick gun site or watch hand finder has to put into place a method to collect them and properly dispose of them at their end of life. In the case of an aircraft marker or an exit sign there is a real benefit to use them and so people are willing to pay for and companies willing to organize that.

For a keyring costing a few dollars there is no way they can handle the recycling end of it.

Thats the real reason that such light sources are controlled here, not because they are of any danger to you, they are not.


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## John N (Feb 7, 2006)

Tritium glowring risk assessment

Are Tritium Traser Glowrings Dangerous?

Tritium detection?

What is a Tritium Vial? 

Broken Tritium vial on my Aleph Tailcap 

-john


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## John N (Feb 7, 2006)

Unforgiven said:


> If you do a search for tritium on the forums you will find much information. They are considered very safe.



FWIW, search is still foobar so your results are going to be limited. I dug up as many as I could, but some of them are still lost.

-john


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## Ken_McE (Feb 7, 2006)

rosso said:


> I just bought one of these without actually looking up how this thing works. Well I just asked my friend Google and it came up with low level Beta emissions?


Correct.



> Radiation?


Yes. Ionizing, not electromagnetic.



> Woah man, I dont wanna get cancer...etc. Are these things safe?


Mostly.



> Do you guys have them?


All of the non-US members do.



> What if the glass breaks and your subjected to the gas?


Hold your breath. Walk away.



> I got loads of kids to have yet I dont wanna die young...etc


If you're not comfortable with it, don't keep it. Look into glow-in-the-dark products. We have guys here who carry amazing high-end GID material. Also, don't send it to Radio. Radio is a kind and generous human being, but sometimes they don't know their own limits. Send it to me. I have much better safe disposal facilities, and for a fellow CPF'er I will wave the fee.



> So how comes they are Illegal in USA?


It makes the Feds nervous. I'm sure you've heard of "Hydrogen bombs". Tritium is the kind of Hydrogen that you use to convert a plain old wimpy atomic bomb into a much more manly Hydrogen bomb. They'd prefer that guys don't collect up a boxcar load of glow rings and use them for bomb building. It would interfere with their monopoly.

Also, if you let it loose in the air it combines with Oxygen and forms tritiated water. Then things might breath or drink it, and once inside a living creature it does not improve your health any. Unless of course it gives you fantastic glowing spidey powers. The DHS frowns upon unauthorized civilian possesion of fantastic glowing spidey powers. Sorry.


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