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.