What you might not have realized is that you’re exposed to the same level of radiation when you’re wearing the watch because gamma radiation requires a massive shield (a thick layer of lead, for example) to be absorbed. While that’s not entirely safe, it’s also not an immediate cause for concern. a day and a half worth of background radiation as a watchmaker. That means you’ll have been exposed to approx. This is almost exclusively gamma radiation because the alpha particles will have been blocked.ĭecasing, removing the hands and dial, and vice versa shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.
Radium paint full#
That means that you’ll have been exposed to a full day’s worth of background radiation in about 20 minutes. Tests have shown that a radium dial emits approx. 10uSv / hr. Unlike alpha radiation, this type of radiation won’t be stopped by paper or plastic, and it also penetrates the skin. Gamma radiationģ% of the radiation is the penetrating gamma radiation. They licked their brushes with luminous paint hundreds of times a day and ingested radium every time they did so. That’s why those poor radium girls got sick.
Radium paint skin#
The particles also can’t penetrate the epidermis, so the skin absorbs them without entering the body.Īlpha particles are highly dangerous inside the body, though, because it kills and mutates cells. The watch crystal and the watch case(back) absorb all the alpha particles while wearing the watch. These particles have such a large mass that they can only travel for a few centimeters, and they’re quickly absorbed. Alpha radiationĩ7% of the radiation is alpha radiation, also known as alpha particles. It emits two types of radiation alpha radiation and gamma radiation. That means that the old radium on your watch dial and in the hands doesn’t glow anymore, but it’s still radioactive. Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint.Įventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. The case was settled in 1928, and since that time, radium dial painters were provided with protective gear. These women are known as the Radium Girls. Several of the women got seriously ill and sued their employer for having contracted an occupational disease. They pointed their brushes on their lips to create a fine tip for the delicate work. In the early 1900s, the dials and hands of nearly all timepieces were painted with this radioluminescent paint.Īlmost all of the workers were women, and they were told that the paint was harmless.
Watchmakers discovered that they could mix the radium with paint to create a paint that glows in the dark. Radior cream, because every woman deserves a beautiful glow Those products even included drinks and creams.
People thought that it was healthy, and it was included as an ingredient in many products. They had no idea that it was potentially dangerous. In 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium when they found out that the mineral uraninite was still radioactive after they’d removed the uranium. Is radium lume that dangerous, or is it a tempest in a teapot? A bit of history However, all over the internet are scary stories about radium, radioactivity, and potential dangers. It’s a big part of the overall appearance and the charm of these vintage watches, especially when the lume has changed into that attractive vintage yellow/brown color. Many vintage watches have radium lume on the dial and in the watch hands.
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