Radiation in Funiture
- Smoke Detectors - Contain an Alpha and Beta ray producing
radioactive isotope of the element Americium that senses smoke. This
is sealed, though, and may not give you any reading.
- Cyrstal. Some Crystal items, decorations were made from areas where
radiation waste was present.
- Lantern Mantels - Some of the mantels in camping lanterns,
especially those from earlier years, are made of the radioactive element
Thorium. Be careful not to inhale the mantle ash!
- Watches - Some old watches and clocks, even gyroscopes, have dials
painted in radium to make them glow in the dark. Radium emits Alpha
and Gamma rays. More recently, Tritium, a radioactive isotope of
Hydrogen, has been used to paint the dials, but it is too weak to penetrate
the watch lens.
- Camera Lenses - It has been reported that certain old Leica camera
lenses colored yellow owe their hue to the presence of the radioactive
element, Thorium.
- Jewelry - Certain gems are irradiated by the radioactive element
Radium, X-rays, or other particles to produce a color change. This can make
the gem itself radioactive which can last for years in some cases. Also,
cloisonné, an enameled variety of jewelry, is glazed with Uranium oxide.
- Rocks and Minerals - Minerals such as uraninite and its pitchblende
variety, also carnotite and thorianite, contain the radioactive elements
Uranium and/or Thorium.
- Pottery - Some older pottery such as the Fiesta Ware brand often
found in antique stores is glazed with Uranium oxide. When broken, the
dust can emit Alpha particles of radiation.
- Furniture - More recently, certain metal objects in the home are
reported to be partly made of spent radioactive material.
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