Radiation concerns.

ChicagoFrog

As much as I love them...makes me seriously consider simply selling them off and staring longingly at pictures of them for the years to come... Someone talk me off the ledge!

M'Bob

I read this post with interest, particularly after the radon study from the UK hit the airwaves.

I have five high radiation watches, and numerous others with radium hands. I store them in my bedroom at times, so of course, I was interested in what my radon exposure could be.

So I coughed up the $200 and sprung for a Corentuim radon detector by Airthings, which gets fairly high accuracy ratings compared to the standard tests. The difference is, rather than having to send the specimen out for analysis, the detector gives you an on-going short, and long-term radon detection result.

As has been mentioned previously, the levels and exposure can vary significantly based on things like air-flow, time of year, and importantly, what floor you store them on, and spend most of your time in.

Closed windows tend to make the readings higher, and I just came back from a three-day weekend away where I had left them that way purposely, so I was curious what my levels would be like upon my return. To my surprise, they were around 0.21pCi/L. This is fairly low, and lower than the average outdoor level of .4pCi/L.

So, if this issue is of concern, and you have a large number of radium watches, it may be worth the investment for your peace of mind, or, in a worst-case scenario, it will assist you in sorting out how to mitigate the problem. I'd be interested in hearing back on your results when you do.

Tony C.

There is no way to answer that, as it would depend on how thoroughly the watch, hands and dial are cleaned. However, whatever material might remain will almost certain;y be of no danger at all to the person wearing the watch.

Tony C.

You're welcome. I would expect that ultrasonic cleaning would effectively remove radium from the parts, yes. Bear in mind, though, that the danger of radiation from old watches comes almost exclusively from the potential to inhale particles, so as long as you have someone else do the cleaning, you are likely to face negligible risks.

If you do choose to clean the watch yourself, then you should obviously wear both a mask, and protective eyewear.

Tony C.

You're welcome. I would expect that ultrasonic cleaning would effectively remove radium from the parts, yes. Bear in mind, though, that the danger of radiation from old watches comes almost exclusively from the potential to inhale particles, so as long as you have someone else do the cleaning, you are likely to face negligible risks.

If you do choose to clean the watch yourself, then you should obviously wear both a mask, and protective eyewear.

t_swiss_t

In all the concern over radium / radon I'd also ask that we not forget the obvious environmental exposures known to increase one's cancer risk: smoking and sun exposure.

I can see the brewing logical inconsistency of someone being very careful in opening / storing their watches from now on ... followed by a quick smoke break or trip to the beach sans sunscreen.