Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. > British & Irish Glass
A Davidson Glass question
biomedbabe:
:!:
Hi guys,
am new to this forum but have a huge collection of uranium glass.
Did you know that it is still fairly radioactive, with about 15 disintegrations per second!
I have boxed mine up and put it in the garage instead of having it in the sitting room.Last hting i need is homemade radiotherapy!
mrvaselineglass:
When we bought our pet dragon, dear wife said she wanted a "PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON", (from the old Peter, Paul and Mary song), so had the concrete lawn ornament people paint it purple. It is solid concrete, comes in three pieces and is very very heavy!
now, on to BIOMEDBABE:
Feel free to send me all of your boxed up uranium glass! From your name, I surmise that you are in the medical field, and have had someone test your uranium glass. I, too, have had my glass tested. I took samples from 1840, 1860, 1900, 1920, 1960, and present day glass to the Nuclear Safety officer for the state of Oklahoma, at the University of Oklahoma, USA, and had it tested. The mand that did the testing was Dr. Paul Skierkowski, Ph.D, a Certified Health Physicist. Dr. Paul tested the glass in his spectroscopy lab, using a germanium-lithium semi-conductor detector to determine the emission record of the radioactive component in the glass and a geiger counter to measure the type of radioactivity being emitted. He explained that the nuclear species causes the radioactivity, the mineral species is responsible for the color. The tests showed that the primary resulting peak was the standard emission peak for protactinium-234. All of the glass tested was a very high-energy beta emitter, with a peak of 1.001. The analyzer finds the center of the peak, wich is actually a couple of channels wide, and graphed the emission record. Every piece that was tested emitted the EXACT same distinctive fingerprint for uranium, regardless of its age, manufactuer, or intensity of color.
Protactinium-234 is a beta emitter, which dissipates in 14-18 inches. It can be blocked completely using glass (such as putting the glass in a glass hutch or display unit. The geiger counter registered the radiation clicks up close, but when the geiger counter was set to the proper sensitivity level (and accurately calibrated by Dr. Paul), at 18 inches, the geiger counter showed only normal background levels.
We are all exposed to radiation daily. Even without having uranium glass in the house, the normal person gets about 360 millirems per yer. That is 0.0360 rem per year. a lethal dose of radiation is 500 REMS over a few hours time.
TIME, DISTANCE, AND SHIELDING was Dr. Paul's advice. Keep it more than 3 feet away from you, but he said that the amount that we are exposed to is minimal with vaseline glass.
I would not have gone into all the scientific explanation, but thought I could head off a disagreement in this fashion. I took this info from an article my wife wrote (who is also in the medical field and just freaked out when I told her it was radioactive) and she insisted that the glass be tested if it was going to be in her house. So, we went to see the Nuclear Safety officer for the State of Oklahoma. He assured her through testing of various samples, that it was OK to have it in our home.
Here is a picture of where I am currently typing this message and the glass that is around me:
http://www.vaselineglass.org/STUDYLG.jpg
I have vaseline glass (about 500 pieces) to either side of me, with no glass shielding. However, it is more than 3 ft away from me on both sides. Beta dissipates after 18 inches.
If you are still concerned, please let me know what glass you might have for sale in the future! I don't sleep with my glass, or carry around a pound of vaseline glass marbles in my pocket 24 hours a day, but I also think the glass is way to beautiful to box it up and put it in storage.
We can agree to disagree! 8)
Mr. Vaseline Glass
Anne E.B.:
--- Quote from: mrvaselineglass ---
TIME, DISTANCE, AND SHIELDING was Dr. Paul's advice. Keep it more than 3 feet away from you, but he said that the amount that we are exposed to is minimal with vaseline glass.
Mr. Vaseline Glass
--- End quote ---
Sounds like good advice to me, but I did wonder about a Lillicrap's Hone that I have. This was featured in another link in which Bernard wrote a tremendously informative article about the object.
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,3950.0.html
These hones were used to sharpen razor blades. Imagine using one of these for years to do this and the possible side effects of continually scraping a blade across the glass and then shaving, at a time when geiger-counters had not yet been invented. May be it was more a case of 5 o'clock GLOW rather than '5 o'clock shadow' :mrgreen: I bought the hone out of interest thinking my son would like it, because of the local historical link, but he won't have it in the house :roll:
mrvaselineglass:
Anne
the radiation passes through or bounces off. it is not 'absorbed'. You can put liquid in a vaseline glass container and while the liquid is in there, it has radiation exposure, but when the water/liquid is removed, you can test it for radiation, and it is just background noise. the razor would be the same way. the razor would be exposed to the sharpener/hone, but once removed from the area of the glass, it no longer is being exposed to radiation. Just thought you would like to know!
the population of the world has been indoctrinated for several generations regarding nuclear power, radiation, and the dangers of it. That is a good thing. However, there is lot of unfounded speculation as to the effects (i.e. ANYTHING RADIOACTIVE IS BAD, BAD, BAD). We are exposed to radiation from the sun every time we go outside. People in Denver, Co., are a mile closer to the sun (i.e. more radiation - thinner atmosphere), yet the cancer rate is no higher there than a population at sea level.
Another good one: "glass workers died of lung cancer from working with vaseline glass during the victorian era....that is why it is not made any more." that one is my favorite! Radiation affects the thyroid gland first. that is why iodine is the primary initial preventative when someone has received a large dose of radiation. yet, the rate of thyroid cancer is never mentioned. Lung cancer deaths were higher then, due to no medical treatment. If you got cancer in the victorian era, you died. plan and simple. There was pollution, heavy smokers, industrial contamination, etc.
With all the government regulatory agencies out there today, the government would not allow it to be made today if it was dangerous. there are glass workers at Fenton who are exposed to it when they make the glass, yet they are still being allowed to make it. Why? because there is an acceptable level of radiation and they are not exceeding it. I have toured the Fenton factory, and no one is wearing radiation badges to show how much exposure they are receiving. Beta waves have a very small risk, and over 98% of the radiation coming off of vaseline glass (molden or solid) is Beta.
Like I said....send me that bad, bad, glass! I will properly 'dispose' of any unwanted samples.
Look at a smoke detector....it says "caution, radioactive device -- dispose of properly." on the label. there is a little gizmo inside that emits alpha wave radiation (which can be blocked with a piece of paper). proper disposal of a damaged smoke detector? throw it in the trash!
The fiber mantle on a LP/propane camping lantern emits more radiation by 3X than vaseline glass does! Yet, I have never heard of campers dropping like flies from thyroid cancer!
Mr. Vaseline Glass.
biomedbabe:
Thanks for the replies.
Think I will hang onto my glass for the time being although at a distance.
Yes I do work in medicine-nuclear medicine!My glass emits more than I am exposed to at work,hence the decision to protect family.Maybe i am being overcautious but it means I can now display my Chance glass.
Liz
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version