Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler
If the counter is accurate, the radiation from the meter is at such a level that someone would have to stay close to it for a long period in order to reach one of the recommended max doses.
David
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I agree.
There is far too much paranoia about low level radiation sources. Its like people running from the room when somebody drops a mercury thermometer when 50% of the fillings in their teeth are metallic mercury, or heaven forbid, someone actually touches a fisherman's lead sinker.
Firstly, zero radiation might not be healthy.
It was assumed for example that the graph of radiation dose (x axis) vs incidence of cancer (y axis on the graph), was a sloping upward line, the more radiation (x on the graph) the higher the risk. True, but what happens when the Y value = 0, guess what x is not 0. The graph does not intersect x = 0 and y=0. It crosses the x axis and y goes negative for a little before it hits 0.
So, it turns out that a small amount of radiation is protective. How could that be ? If you think about it, life on Earth evolved in the presence of a moderate amount of background radiation. We are designed/have evolved to deal with that and its part of our biology, just like some sunlight is good for us, too much is bad. Its a view known as Hormesis.
https://www.ajronline.org/doi/full/1....179.5.1791137
But, it still pays to be sensible. If you look at radioactive capsule smoke detectors for example, the amount of radiation you receive is ok, when they are in a hallway and you walk by from time to time. You might not want to install one over the baby's crib, in that case go for a photo-electric/optical type.
The instrument or clock with luminous paint won't harm you at all, unless you bolted it to your head 24/7, even then probably ok, or scraped off the paint and put it in your vegemite sandwich and its a heck of a lot less toxic than Litvineko's Polonium 210.
In the old days of clock making, year after year, the people who painted on the luminous paint did get sick, mind you they were licking the tips of the brushes every day for years.