Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. > British & Irish Glass

A Davidson Glass question

<< < (5/6) > >>

David E:
Liz, another site you can explore is: http://www.1st-glass.1st-things.com/ where the topic of uranium glass is covered quite extensively. Does probably go over what Dave has mentioned though.

Glen:
I am not an expert in anything scientific, however, back in the mid 1990s, I corresponded with a retired professor who was an expert in radiation (he devised circuit principles for the Geiger Muller tube 40 years ago). I asked him if it was safe to have vaseline glass since it is radioactive, and gives off higher then the normal background radiation?  

His answer (condensed version) - Background radiation varies with height above sea level, barometric pressure, your house construction, location and from day to day.. etc etc. However - vaseline glass in its normal state has the atoms bound within the molecules. As such, it is SAFE. The only way that it could become a problem is if you broke it or ground it up. For it to deteriorate under normal conditions, you'd have to wait around 1000 years. He reckoned that you get more radiation from many a domestic TV set than you do from vaseline glass. Even brazil nuts have higher radiation! (It seems the soil in Brazil where they grow has a high level of radiation from the rocks. The radium is absorbed through the roots into the leaves and nuts. He says they are perfectly safe to eat. No problems there!)  

You may want to disagree, of course.

Glen

Frank:
Radiation itself is different to a radioactive material and the radiation will be emitted by particles of the material. Much as a magnetic field around a magnet, except that radiation tends to travel in a straight line. With a hone, sharpening a knife blade on it will cause microscopic particles to be worn off and these could be airborne and inhaled. Not a particularly serious risk but no point in adding to the exposure, so view it but don't use it.

Man has managed to increase the radiation we are exposed too, but again it is not the radiation itself that causes the problem as the aerosol particles that are released into the environment by manufacturing and mining processes. This is what was spread across a third of the planet following Chernobyl. Safe nuclear energy is not possible because the cost is too high, as long as nuclear power stations are sited away from centres of government and finance the risk is regared as acceptable as it will only affect ordinary people.

Tigerchips:

--- Quote from: "Anne E.B." ---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.
--- End quote ---

If my memory serves me correctly, I think you are more likely to die (or at least be ill) from those old anthrax shaving brushes.  :shock:

David555:
I was going to get all my mercury amalgam fillings taken out, but the dentist said the process of removal to refill with gold or ceramic would expose me even more - ahhhh

I have to get a perspective and say I am not going to be afraid of low level beta rays that have mostly fuzzed out to background noise over 120 years when I have poison in my actual face.

Now my mobile telephone, I use a wireless earpiece for that now :!:

Adam P

Mr. Vaseline Glass - I love your office - also I know this (below, I bought some the other day) is Davidson Yellow Pearline but forget the shape number (I have no specific books on Vaseline or Davidson as yet)

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page