Your Radioactive House: Ep. 4: Radium Clocks
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- čas přidán 28. 11. 2017
- Episode 4 of a multi-part series on radioactivity in your home. Be sure to subscribe to see all the episodes.
In this episode Kirk measures the radiation from two vintage bedside alarm clocks that contain Radium.
Kirk Mona is a professional interpretive naturalist living in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. His video channel Secret Nature explores the sometimes hidden science and connections that make nature fascinating.
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Would be interesting to see the geiger counter used at one of the graves of the Radium Girls.
It would be exactly the same as at any other cemetery. There would be a few background clicks from natural uranium decay in soil and from the granite in headstones but you would detect absolutely nothing from the graves. Even if they still had tracts of radium on their bodies you could not detect it from above. Radium undergoes alpha decay and aloha particles only travel a very short distance. A couple inches at best. If someone was in a casket, which is then in a concrete vault and then buried under three feet of dirt you could not detect anything.
They buried the radium girls in lead caskets. There is NO radiation escaping at their graves.
A guy did a vid on that, going to where the girls are buried but apparently they exhume the bodies and put them lead coffins
Radium is no longer used as clock/watch lume, but if you don't have a Geiger counter and want to know if your night display is radioactive or not, the "eye test" is simple and definitive. In a dark environment with night-adjusted vision, do you see a soft phosphorescent glow? If so, your device has a non-radioactive phosphor such as unactivated zinc sulfide, or strontium aluminate. Zinc sulfide was used for years (and still is) but strontium aluminate has far superior "glow 'n the dark" properties. If the glow you see is not really a glow, but gazillions of tiny sparkles which combine into a glow, then you have a radioactive night light source. You are seeing Radium emissions strike the activated zinc sulfide which causes a burst of light energy. Even when the radioactive lume wears out, the radium is still hot, and even worn-out radium displays still display enough sparkles for identification. The sparkle test doesn't work for Tritium powered nite-lume, which involves a radioactive gas inside a transparent chamber containing an internal coating.
Although they are dangerous they were great at the time! Imagine you always see your alarm clocks time without changing batteries. I have found such an alarm clock in my grandmas basement. Its nearly 100 years old an still glows very brightly i the dark. That is so mindboggling.
Phosphorous wasn't used as a lume on the old Radium clocks and watches. Silver or copper activated zinc sulfide was used (green glow is copper activated, blue glow is silver activated - you'll see both with copper being the most common). Oddly, zinc sulfide is a good phosphor in natural (UV containing) light, but activating it degrades that natural quality. After activation, the Zinc Sulfide will emit light when bombarded by Alpha particles of ionizing radiation; something Radium 226 emits plenty of. On old clocks, the Zinc Sulfide has worn out and no longer glows in the dark. The Radium is just as hot as ever --- it's half-life is about 1,500 years. You'll see a lot of safety warnings about the dangers of Radium watches and clocks, but you can use a survey meter or dosimeter to learn that the combined Alpha, Beta and Gamma radiation amount is minuscule. Of course the current government published safety guidelines are that ANY radiation is harmful. Over the course of a century we went from complete disregard for the dangers of nuclear radiation, to an absurd worry over even "background" radiation. Geiger readings are alarming because of the sense of urgency all those clicks impart. Actually, Geiger counters are designed to measure only trace amounts of radiation. In the presence of even slightly moderate radiation the Geiger tube will "saturate" and not show any higher readings than the tube's design limit. This means that a Geiger counter can be placed in a field containing absolutely deadly radiation, but only indicate only a tiny fraction of the hazard present.
Thanks for the comments. I believe I did conflate phosphors and phosphorus in the dialog. Good clarification.
Extremely dangerous clocks
Only if you eat them. (hands or dials.) Nothing of this level can build up enough gamma emission to alter your dna structure, potentially giving you cancer. You eliminate the localized dose way faster than it can "build up". And remember that this is highly localized, so absolutely nothing adds up to a full body dose.
The poor Radium Girls . . .
Yeah, pretty terrible.
Thanks for this
really interesting to see what these look like now and mightve looked like
Just can't wrap my head around the idea of people glowing like that...
I'm trying to find pictures.. sounds like Burns in that Simpsons episode where he gets medicated and wanders the woods while glowing due to his plane exposure and people think it's an alien sighting at nighttime.
I picked up a geiger counter like yours very well used condition but works. Thanks for the video this was really awesome!
Enjoy!
Me finding out the cool vintage Ben clock I bought and have had by my bed side the entire time has radium inside :
👁👄👁
I have that same Baby Ben alarm clock. I bought it in the 1970's and used it when I was in the Air Force. I have a SE International Inspector Geiger counter with the larger, more sensitive "pancake" detector. It reads about 22,000 CPM on the clock face.
I have the same clock, but the Big Ben model (just got it from Etsy 3 weeks ago) - could mine have radium? The seller didn't mention anything. The dials/#'s glow green after I put it under a lamp for a few seconds, but fade throughout the day.
@@wk1810 , it doesn't sound like your clock has a radium dial. Radium dials glow without exposure to light. Once a radium dial has ceased to glow because the zinc sulfide is burnt out, exposing it to the sun won't make it glow again. I think your clock just has a luminescent dial.
@@noremorse6898 I did a little searching on Google and read something similar in some scientific article, (WHEW!) but thank you just the same for replying.
Yes, the pancake detector is going to have a much higher CPM. That's part of why CPM is a rubbish measure of actual radioactivity. I just use it in my videos as a measure of relative radioactivity between items but it certainly doesn't give you accurate exposure information.
Had the baby ben on my bedside dresser until like 5 years ago until i tossed it suspecting it might be dangerous. I’m guessing that one probably didn’t due much since it was further away than your long distance count in here. My worry is that i think there were a few other additional potentially radioactive clocks i bought at a flea market whichi kept by my computer, maybe a little further away from me than the second test on the first clock.... and one of them had the front glass panel cracked at some point, though surprisingly the pieces stayed attached to the clock. Still, this concerns me a bit due to potential radon leakage
Unless you were literally sleeping with one of these strapped directly to your body every night for years you are fine. As you saw, once you move a short distance away the counts go down dramatically.
We had an alarm clock like the one in the video years and years ago. Makes you wonder what dangers you were innocently sleeping with. Scary!.
You tossed it oh my god you should have brought it to someone that deals with radioactive stuff that’s so bad
@@TorighostgangsmellsIt's fine to discard most natural radiation sources in the garbage, even refined ones like radium clocks. No-one is going to sleep on a landfill. It's better to bring it to a reseller who will point out to buyers it has radium in it and is radioactive. There are folks like me who collect some things!
I grew up in the 1960s and 70's, goodness knows what radium and asbestos hazards that I have encountered.
I understand that this video is old but any chance you know if all clocks are alpha radiation? I have a desk clocked that's from the 1950s or 60s and I always had it in my room and im overall concerned, it's in great condition but still kinda worried for my overall health
Not all old clocks contain radium. If the numbers were painted "glow in the dark" then there is a higher chance it has radium. Some of these still glow today even after being kept in the dark for days without the ability to recharge from sunlight. If that is the case then it is a good indication it has radium. In general, a radium clock is pretty safe if it is in good condition and the paint isn't flaking off.
@@SecretNatureChannel Is it safe enough to have by my TV which I spend time in frequently?
The concern with old radium painted dials is twofold. First up is the chance of being irradiated by having it near you. As shown in the video, the glass is blocking the alpha radiation (your skin mostly would too) but there is gamma radiation getting through the glass. The amount is low enough expects generally aren’t too concerned if you have one sitting on your shelf. Maybe don’t keep it on the bedside table every night facing your brain but even then it is probably not a huge deal. BUT, there is another risk. If the paint has degraded, then it turns to dust and falls off. This is radioactive dust that can get out of the clock. Theoretically if you were to inhale that dust it could settle in your lungs and then the alpha radiation could cause lung cancer.
You got 1200 CPM for the entire clock face of the Big Ben. A good demonstration of how distance degrades radiation is to remove the smaller hour hand from the clock, place it directly against the Alpha window screen of your RadAlert 50, and watch your CPM rise to over 9,000 CPM. Most radiation from Radium 226 is Alpha, which will not penetrate a sheet of paper, or your skin, and is nearly all blocked by just the molecules in 2-inches of air.
Thank you for informative video.
I have one question, are all clocks and watches with radioactive dials sensitive to ultraviolet light?
Yes and no. In theory yes because they have phosphors on the dial. The radiation charges up the phosphor paint just like the UV light does. However, often older radioactive dials no longer glow. It isn’t because they aren’t radioactive. It is because the radiation has degraded the paint. So, those might not glow under UV if the paint is in bad shape.
@@SecretNatureChannel thanks again.
This man is a hero💯, and risked his life in the name of CZcams science🔬✊. I tip my hat🎩 to you sir! Please, everyone.. A round applause 👏👏👏. My prayers are with you 🙏.
So: this man is not a hero. He did not risk his life. There is no such thing as CZcams science. Filming old clocks with a Geiger counter isn't groundbreaking stuff.
Save your enthusiasm for those who actually died because of these clocks and the science behind them.
🚀👀🤓💻👏👏👏🤝🙌✍️👆👨🚒👨🚀🕵️♂️Yeah i hope that was dumb enough for you to understand it👍👏😅
Loooooool are you serious 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Got a geiger counter at home but im wondering how i can keep stuff like these safely while not causing health concerns
Keep it out of the reach of children, out of any food prep area, in an infrequently used area of the dwelling, ideally in a gallon sized resealable plastic bag (to contain heavy, radioactive Radon gas). Mine's under my garage workbench, Only unseal in a well ventilated space. If you are going to actually disturb the surfaces that have radioactive compounds or open the clock face, wear a N95 mask, use disposable gloves and a disposable work surface, and googles... most radioactive materials are far more dangerous when they are lodged in skin, eyes, swallowed, inhaled or stuck to mucus membranes (nose, mouth, digestive tract). After sealing it back up, discard all the disposables in the trash and wash all your exposed skin surfaces.
Hi, i have an 80's brazilian alarm clock with white luminiscent dials and numbers, the brand is "Sturm" (couldn't find anything on the internet) Can it contain radiation based on the color of the dial?. It brights clearly in the night. Unfortunately don't have a geiger counter.
Put it in a completely dark location with zero light for a day. Take it out in the dark. If it is still glows without having been exposed to any source of light for a day then the only way it can be glowing is if it contains a radioactive paint.
@@SecretNatureChannel thank you!
I use a 1946 telechron telalarm jr. With radium hands, should i stop using it?
I mean, probably lol.
If you like it as an alarm clock don't worry about it,as shown the radiation doesn't travel far trought the air,the real danger was making these back then
i have a baby ben by westclox model 9. it glows in the dark as well but according to online sources it was manufactured in 1979-2000s. would mine have radium?
There are modern versions of glow in the dark paint that do not contain radium. These pigments glow after being exposed to light. Radium clocks will glow even after being kept in darkness for weeks, months or even years.
@@SecretNatureChannel My clock has been in a drawer, closed for many months. It’s one of those travel clocks. It doesn’t glow anymore, but I can see the green paint on the numbers and hands. Is this a hazard?
I have an identical clock to that westclok one is it dangerous?
Well I wouldn't lick it or sleep with it under your pillow but as long as the radium paint on the face is still in good condition and not crumbling off you should be fine.
I had a big Ben as a kid and would use it as a nightlight under the blankets. I will die from cancer.
Naw, you’ll be fine.
I love collecting uranium glass
Oh shit I have the Big Ben version of that clock
You didn't test the clock with the much higher radiation count from the distance?
No, but it shouldn't matter really. The point was that radiation levels fall off very quickly. While the other clock was "hotter" at the distance of a foot and a half or so they likely both would read the same.
You can take a couple of steps away from any clock and receive a Geiger count no different from background radiation.
Correct.
I have a 1930s or 1950s Art Deco clock by Junghans in a brand called BiVox, they're obscure.Does charge up with light but gives off a small glow, it's now a faint Seafoam Green glow. The clues of Radium are Off-white hands, mostly some on the dials are brown? It does glow faintly after a few days, it was glowing when I got it, 50-80 YEARS GLOWING!
Well if it still glows without being exposed to light then it has radium. For example, if you put it complete darkness for days and it still glows the energy to make it glow is from the radium.
It does that, it's faint that it looks like it's not glowing. i am bamboozled.
Raph Caswell-Jones if it’s faint it’s the phosphorus or zinc that has degraded due to constant bombardment of particles
Update: The glow is going guys, I knew it was. Also the 4 on the clock fell off due to adhesive problems in radioactive conditions
JUST FOUND OUT RHE STORY OF THIS..MY DAD STILL HAS THE CLOCK ON THE LEFT...WESTCLOCK IN HIS ROOM.HIS IN HIS 80S...
ya still alive?
Oh no
I feel like these types of pieces are cool in a way yeah dangerous to an extent but more of a piece of history but not to freak out about radium in a clock in their possession when we in the common day in age all use our phones and technology with radiation all day 24/7 in our hands. (Not forgetting that it’s on a totally different levels of radiation)
Not just a different level but a different kind of radiation. Phones “radiate” energy in the form of light and radio waves but it is non-ionizing radiation. That distinction is lost on a lot of people to such a degree that I wish we didn’t use the same word. Yes, radio waves are technically a form of radiation but a phone is not considered “radioactive” because it is non-ionizing.
@@SecretNatureChannel Appreciating your response! I was about to say the same thing. Everything electromagnetic radiation with wavelength longer than ultraviolet is non-ionizing radiation - this includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light - they can cause their own problems - mostly overheating tissues - but none of those cause ionization damage.
The ultraviolet to a small degree, but definitely x-ray and gamma ray - those are ionizing radiation.
Other things that cause ionization damage include alpha and beta particles. The alphas are bad for any tissue they are absorbed into or in contact with. Radioactive cesium looks like sodium/potassium to the human body, and radioactive strontium/radium acts like calcium. When ingested, they are redistributed and end up up killing/mutating tissues from the particles they put out. Beta particles penetrate much farther than the alpha particles.
Wrist watches are about the worst for radium.
*_FBI please don't arrest me-_*
How old is that baby been alarm clock I’m curious 🤔
1960s. I don’t have an exact year I’m afraid.
@@SecretNatureChannel, i have a Westclox big ben from 1939, the fosfor paint was used around 1900's-1940's i think 😊 i am a swedish cellcktor on old items😊😊
POV: Hey kids today I’ll be showing you how to be burned from the inside out.
Naw, just don't eat your clock.
You shouldn’t be touching those clocks with your bare hands!
TheGumbybird Hello and thanks for your concern. There are a few things to consider as far as touching the clocks. The first is the direct exposure to radiation so let me address that. There are three types of radiation being given off. Alpha, Beta and Gamma.most of the Alpha is being blocked by the glass. Even if it weren’t though, alpha radiation barely makes it through our skin and a small exposure like this would be inconsequential. As for the beta and gamma those clearly do make it through the glass. They are higher energy and penetrate right through. This should illustrate why gloves would be pointless. The energy would pass right through them as though they were not there. There is no difference touching these clocks with bare or gloved hands, my very small exposure is the same.
The bigger issue with using bare hands isn’t the direct exposure to radiation but rather the possibility of contaminating my hands with loose particles of radium. The phosphors in these particular clocks are still in good shape and have not broken down so there isn’t any loose radium in them and they are still sealed. If powdered radium dust does escape the danger isn’t so much touching it as it is inhaling it. If some were to get on my skin it is easily washed off. (And I do wash my hands after handling these just out of caution) if radium is inhaled though it stays in the lungs irradiating the same spot over and over which can cause lung cancer. Again though, bare hands really aren’t the issue here.
@@SecretNatureChannel Do you mean radon, which is dangerous to inhale and the result of alpha decay of radium?
No, I was referring to the danger of inhaling an airborne speck of radium dust.
No danger; the radiation is minuscule. I've left sensitive dosimeters and survey meters directly against the face of these clocks for two or three days, and recorded absolutely no accumulated dose beyond the base line. You'd have to ingest or inhale the paint to run a risk. The only precaution I take is wearing a mask should I scrape the paint for Radium recovery to be used in another project. 75-years ago we completely ignored the very real dangers to the human body posed by ionizing radiation. From there, we've entered a form a wild-eyed, slack-jawed terror of "radioactive" clocks and watches; as if they were fission weapons by themselves. I actually saw one goofy paper which bemoaned the dangers of just walking past a shelf displaying such a clock. Sometimes common sense is the best tool. How many "clock deaths" have been recorded over the past century?
Keep collecting them, fill your h
Whole house with them clocks 🤣
I was using my Geiger counter in my moms boyfriend house, and i went into this back room with all these Dressers, and i put the geiger counter against one of the dresser drawers and it began detecting something quite radioactive, i opened up one of the dresser drawers and there was an old watch, and my geiger counter was going completely Nuts ,and the old watch was a Radium watch.that i had discovered with my Geiger counter.nothing else my Geiger counter detected. That was radioactive.
1 person who just realized they had ionizing radiation on their wrist for decades clicked "Thumbs Down."
How the fuck
Care to elaborate?