![]() In this sense, it is similar to things like asbestos, lead and mercury, all of which you are likely to encounter in the environment naturally, and all of which present a small, but not insignificant environmental hazard. Skin contact, while ill advised is less hazardous, if you do get it on your skin, wash it off with plenty of water and soap or hand cleaner. The amount of material involved is pretty small, and the radioactivity present in a single watch dial is not a huge amount, but it should be treated with respect to avoid ingesting it. Something oil based may be better, and any solvent that evaporates rapidly may transport the particles into the air. If removing old lume, wear gloves, and a mask, and keep the old lume in a paste form by using some form of barrier material, water, while it may leave marks is probably OK. The hazard is relatively low, but you should still take care. That is the beauty of forums like this with learned members, being informed goes a long way to being safe.īe aware that even if the dial no longer glows, it is still probably radioactive, since the half life of Radium is around 1600 years, and other transuranic elements are probably present with similar or longer half lives. But if I do, at least I have a clear understanding of what I am up against and how to handle the situation to minimize the risk to myself and others around me. ![]() For me, i will probably never work on a radium watch. If you are not sure if the watch you are working on is radioactive and you do not wish to assume the risk, what little there is, while taking the proper precautions, then pass such work on to some one else. As clockboy states finger cots a dust mask and store in a sealed container and all is good. or if you feel strongly about it you can spray it with water remove it to a plastic bag seal the bag and be done with it. With asbestos in radios just leave it alone. Only if you start cutting grinding or scraping will you release particles into the air. With asbestos as with the paint, if you leave it alone there is no risk. the subject of what to do comes up a lot.just like the subject of radioactive paint from days gone by. I dabble in antique radio restoration and a lot of radios used asbestos cloth sheets for heat control. Radium like asbestos needs to be treated with respect, but both seem to garner a lot of fear mongering. If not sure use a mask when disassembling and store the dials and hands under cover and wear finger cots when handling. For those who regularly work on vintage watches should invest in a radon detector. ![]() Open storage in living or working areas that contain potential Radio-luminescent paint should be avoided. Radiation and radon gas from radio - luminescent paint a potentially dangerous to watch collectors and repairers. The only way to be 100% sure is to use a radiation detector. Radio-luminescent paint ceases to glow after a few years, so lack of glow from the paint is not a reliable indication of whether it is radioactive or not. The problem for us watch repairers is detecting if the vintage watch you are repairing/servicing has a radium dial or hands is not easy. When Radium enters the body it results in cancers and many died from this. The hazards of radium paint were highlighted by the story of the “Radium Girls”, luminous dial painters of the 1920s not only shaped their brushes with their lips ,but painted their teeth, lips and eyebrows with luminous radium paint, consuming significant amounts of radium. Luminous timepieces really took off during the Great War, when a wristwatch with a luminous dial quickly became regarded as a necessity. In this months BHI mag (November 2018) is an article “Radon Hazards of Luminous Timepieces” Understanding Risks From vintage watches.
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