Radioactive Materials In Antique

Radioactive Materials In Antique

Among the furniture, clothing, jewelry, books, dolls, dishes, and many other objects sold at flea markets and antique shops, you will likely find items that contain radioactive compounds. These items were generally made and originally sold before the health effects of radiation were well-understood and long before radiation protection regulations were put in place.

Many antiques actively exploit the radioactive properties of radionuclides:
• clocks, watches, and instrument dials that glow in the dark, may contain radium or tritium
• some ceramics (specifically old Fiestaware®) get their color from the addition of various radionuclides to
their glaze
• vaseline or canary glass contains small amounts of uranium, which provide it's yellow-green coloring and also makes it glow under black lights.
These items emit small amounts of radiation, but enough to register on a hand-held Geiger Counter.

Clocks, Watches and Instrument Dials
When radium was discovered in the early 1900’s, people were fascinated with its mysterious glow. The hands and faces of some clocks, watches, and ship and airplane instruments were painted with paints containing radium to make them glow in the dark.

Over time, however, experts discovered that radium is highly radioactive and emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Radium is particularly hazardous if inhaled or ingested because it then emits radiation directly to living tissue. Many radium dial painters licking the bristles of their paintbrushes to create fine tips for applying the paint to these small surfaces. Later many of them developed bone cancer, primarily in their jaws. By the 1970's, the practice of using radium on watch dials ended.

Ceramics
Glazes used for tiles, pottery, and other ceramics made before the 1960’s, often contain elevated levels of naturally-occurring radionuclides. Manufacturers typically used uranium, thorium, and/or potassium-40, all of which emit alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. As recently as the 1930s, Fiestaware® used uranium oxides to create the distinctive orange-red color of its dinnerware.

Glass
Early 19th century European glass makers sometimes added small amounts of uranium to glass as a yellowgreen coloring agent. Because of its yellowish color, this type of glass was called vaseline or canary glass. In part, collectors like canary glass for the attractive green glow the uranium gives off when exposed to a black light.

Starting around 1970, the intentional use of radioactive coloring agents in commercial glazes and glasses in the U.S. dramatically decreased. However their use continues in other countries, and ceramics and glasses containing radioactive coloring agents may occasionally enter the United States.

Antiques containing radioactive materials will continue to emit low levels of radiation for many years.

More

Antique Articles

Antiques_Roadshow

Antiques-hobbyist

Collecting_Antique_Books

Collecting_Antique_Cars

Collecting_Antique_Clocks

Collecting_Antique_Documents

Collecting_Antique_Dolls

Collecting_Antique_Furniture

Collecting_Antique_Guns

Collecting_Antique_Jewelry

Collecting_Antique_Lighting

Antique News

Bing: antique collecting site:msnbc.msn.com
Search results

Thrive World Wide, Inc. Is Pleased to Announce Its Entry Into the ...
... lines and providers of recreational activities from golf and tennis, horseback riding, skiing, surfing, sailing, hunting, fishing, arts, antique collecting ...
Submerged in stuff, hoarders keep collecting - Health - Mental ...
For actress Delta Burke, it was antique furniture and porcelain dolls ? enough to fill 27 climate-controlled storage units. For Roger Gorman?s father ...
5 age-old tips for investing in antiques - Money - Money Matters ...
Five age-old tips for investing in antiques Jean Chatzky on how to hunt, sell and invest in the business of collecting Below:
Antique slides reveal obsession with science - Technology ...
Antique microscope slides reveal obsession with science Victorian era ... People not only bought pre-made slides, but made their own collecting trips to ...
10 hot spots for vintage souvenirs - travel - TODAY.com
The French Antique Shop in New Orleans ships treasures from Europe several times a ... And collecting isn't just for the experts any more. "Most serious collectors will tell ...
Who's cashing in on political memorabilia? - Business - Personal ...
... your attic and didn?t know how to sell it, you?d likely go to an antique ... it to go up in price, and in the 40 years I have been involved in collecting ...
The Maddow Blog - Unhappy (and broke) in America
One friend had to have an auction to sell off things she and her husband had spent decades collecting (like antique furniture) because lay offs had left them ...
King of the collectors - Local News - Santa Maria, CA - msnbc.com
?I thought, ?Heck, I?m going to start collecting.?? He began scouring yard sales for bargains and sometimes picked up items at antique stores ...
PhotoBlog - Antique tractor auction expected to draw crowd as ...
Antique tractor auction expected to draw crowd as family sells off late father ... and engines Culver's father dragged home one by one over 50 years of collecting.
Skinner to Host Asian Auction in Marlborough - Business - Press ...
With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest ... Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, Fine Judaica, Antique ...

Newsfeed display by CaRP