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buybuybuy
36
Dec 21, 2013
No thoughts of health concerns from carrying around a substance that is continuously throwing off atomic particles? (Particularly since you'd presumably be carrying this in your pants pocket in close proximity to interesting organs and flesh in general.) Purse-carry is presumably a non-issue, since weapon-sights are made from tritium as well. I don't think wrist-watch glow markers are made from tritium any more.
Tristor
97
Dec 21, 2013
buybuybuyTritium is pretty much entirely safe unless you break the vial. While it does give off beta particles, the tritium gas is sealed within the vial and trapped and the beta particles are blocked by the colored phosphor coating and expended in the process of causing the phosphor to luminesce.
From a 2007 report from the UK Health Protection Agency: "Tritium presents no external radiation threat via beta radiation when encapsulated in non-hydrogen-permeable containers due to its low penetration depth, which is insufficient to penetrate intact human skin"
That's pretty much all there is to say on that subject. So don't eat it or inhale it and you'll be fine.
buybuybuy
36
Dec 22, 2013
TristorThanks! I should probably have more deeply consulted the Googlesphere before commenting, but your reply gives me a better target to start from. :)
Maverickmonk
1
Apr 17, 2014
buybuybuyTritium is still the glow material of choice in high end tool watches, due to its lack of need for recharge (like the standard glow powder or superluminova that only glows after exposure to sunlight), these watches include watches for the US.mil as well The only reason it isn't used in other watches is that the maker is then confined as far as marker sizes and shapes, since tritium has to be in a vial.
It's radium that isn't used in watches anymore, and actually tritium is what replaced it.