Re:

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 13:51 09.09.1998 -0500, you wrote:
>I am interested in the range of  Ra-226 activity present in various
>switches, dials, and gauges.  Any information on typical Ra-226 activity
>levels in these various article would be appreciated.
>
>Thanks for the information.
>
>Email ssorg_it@nv.doe.gov
---------------------------------------------------

In Europe the use of Ra-226 is to my knowledge in (almost) all countries
not allowed any more for these purposes. Ra-226 can therefore only be found
in very old devices. It has been replaced for instance in dials by Pm147
and especially tritium. The trend is even to replace tritium in dials by
phosphorescent material, which will of course not glow after some hours in
the dark. Ra-226 in the devices you mentioned is now regarded as a
curiosity, which is much aftersought by some radiation protection experts
who are interested in the history of radiation protection, including me.

Best regards,

Franz

 
Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

Office:
Federal Institute for Food Control and Research
Department of Radiochemistry
Kinderspitalg. 15
A-1095 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-40 491 520
Fax.: +43-1-40 491 540
e-mail: schoenhofer@baluf.via.at
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html