[ RadSafe ] radium/tritium watch dials

[jjcohen]

    I recall that back in the early 1970's, the state government  closed down a plant in Arizona involved in making tritated watch dials (Perhaps the EPA was also involved in this action). I believe they found detectable levels of H-3 in a neighborhood swimming pool. With liquid scintillation technology, tritium is detectable in miniscule concentrations, far below anything that could reasonably be considered hazardous. In any case, the news media had a field day with it; the media mentality being that radioactivity, if detectable, must be a hazard, and the production of tritiated watch dials was halted.
    If I recall correctly, the typical quantity of tritium in a watch was ~1.0 mci. I find it inconceivable that such an amount could constitute a significant hazard under any conditions (even if the entire watch was swallowed).
What bothered me at the time, and it still does, is the idea that radioactivity is to be  considered an unacceptable hazard regardless of the type, quantity, or conditions of use. If this concept were generally applied, we wouldn't need an NRC, EPA, NCRP, etc. Simply ban use of radioactivity altogether. Setting a limit of 15 mrem/a for site cleanup is already a good start toward this goal. If you should wonder what we might do with naturally occurring radioactivity : don't worry about it. Anything natural must be good. That's why we exclude natural background radiation from consideration in calculating prospective doses from nuclear operations. If you think all of this is illogical, remember that logic has not yet been allowed to interfere with setting radiation standards. Why start now?