Re: Wearing Radium-Dial Watches - Hazards?

["J. J. Rozental" <josrozen@netmedia.net.il>]

The early use of radium in watches and clocks do not  has precise
information on the exact quantity used in each, two watches could have
diferences in quantities of radium, even small.  Although the quantity used
in each item was small, only a few micrograms, the total quantity was
signiificant. In the USA for example 70 grams of radium were produced for
manufacturing luminous coumponds between  1913 and 1920. 
Many watchs sent to repair, also were causes of contamination in its early use.
As I mentioned last week, from the begining little consideration was given
to safety in the use of radium, and only in 1941 radium was establishished
as standard for radiotoxicity. The Maximum Permissible Body Burden for
radium, 0.1 microcurie was  used for calculation of MPBBs for all other
radionuclides, Radium had become a risk standard.

To learn on this subject, please take a look on the following references:

a)Willian, A. R., Kirchmann, R. J. Radium a Historical Introduction Vol I,
Tech. Rep. Ser.310, IAEA - Viena, 1990

J. J. Rozental
<josrozen@netmedia.net.il>
Israel
b)Willforth, J. C., Robinson, E. W., Wold, G. J.A Review of Radium Incidents
in the United States, Proceedings of a Symposium on Handling of Radiation
Accidents, IAEA Viena, 19-23 May 1969                                


At 02:29 PM 2/5/99 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi All,
>Is anyone aware of documented injuries attributed to wearing a watch with
>radium-painted hands? Thanks, ron 
>*********************************************
>   Ron Morgan
>   Radiation Protection Services (ESH-12)
>   Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS K-483
>   Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87544 (USA)
>   Phone (505) 665-7843
>   FAX   (505) 667-9726
>   Mailto:rgmorgan@lanl.gov
>*********************************************
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