Radioactive Gauge Spotter's Guide

[NDT]

Here are some examples of the dreaded radioactive gauges that DRMO has been concerned about. Pic 1 is a new gauge with no radiation. Pic 2 is a WWII gauge with .5 milliroentgens/hour (mr/hr). Pic 3 is a M-Series gauge with .5 mr/hr. Pic 4 is a M-series gauge with .6 mr/hr. Pic 5 and 6 of M-Series gauges are the hot ones, they are 10 mr/hr. these readings were taken on an uncalibrated 1960's Victoreen 6B geiger counter. In all cases the identifier is yellowed coatings on the numerals and needle. Much has been assumed about these gauges, but whatever you do, don't open them up and bead blast the gauge face!

 

[papabear]

I now have all the documentation I need to sue the guvmunt

I got to ride in some Army trucks (rarely) as a light fighter and i distinctly remember the trucks had gauges in them I suspect them gauges radiated me in the back of the truck

I bet that explains why my teef are bad and I don't have much hair left There is also a loss of sex drive and a general loss of ability from what I remember 38 years ago.
I'm gonna call the Guvmunt tomorrow and start my multi-million dollar lawsuit!!!!!!!

Anyone wanna do the "class action" thingy???

 

[goldneagle]

I now have all the documentation I need to sue the guvmunt

I got to ride in some Army trucks (rarely) as a light fighter and i distinctly remember the trucks had gauges in them I suspect them gauges radiated me in the back of the truck

I bet that explains why my teef are bad and I don't have much hair left There is also a loss of sex drive and a general loss of ability from what I remember 38 years ago.
I'm gonna call the Guvmunt tomorrow and start my multi-million dollar lawsuit!!!!!!!

Anyone wanna do the "class action" thingy???

So PB you admit you don't have much hair left! HAHA and you tease me about my hair loss...HAHA

 

[GoHot229]

Just think about all those glowing Timex's we all had in the 50's,60's and 70's And random whatnot toy or other glowing thing. Read below

 

[doghead]

At what level of radiation, is there a health concern? Anybody know?

We all know that exposure to the Sun, is dangerous, yet we all go outside on sunny days(except Clinto).

 

[Recovry4x4]

Stop licking the gauge needles Papabear!

 

[maddawg308]

Unless you are licking the gauge face, or glueing a gauge to your forehead, you have nothing to worry about. But it does mean that the items will glow and work as designed.

Like I told the gent who told me some of my old liquid-filled caps and transformers that I was selling at a ham fest years back were "PCB filled" and dangerous, I replied that "I don't plan on pouring the contents over my breakfast cereal, dumbass." Plus, the fact that they were full of PCBs, meant that they worked great, compared to newer stuff which works only good.

 

[atankersdad]

I wondered why my dodads have been glowing lately and feel kinda funny...

 

[zout]

I had these Hot gauges - after tearing them apart and scrapping on them to get the good stuff - I tore apart thermostats to get the mercury out of them - rub it in the dust - and it was awesome effects - OR back then it might have been another substance that made it spectacular !

Good post - on what most people would not know about.

 

[stumps]

So, it would appear that if you have an SW-503A speedometer, it is radium. I have tested my SW-503C and it is definitely not radioactive.

Safety wise, the radiation is not really a problem. It decreases rapidly as the distance from the gauge is increased. Get a couple of feet away, and you won't be able to measure anything with a geiger counter. The problem is the dust from the various decay products of the radium. You don't need extra radioactive sources embedded in your sinuses, or bones, irradiating your body tissues for the rest of your life.

Thanks for the info!

-Chuck

 

[badgmc56]

Guys, I can be pretty certain that we will all pass away someday [hopefully a lot later] from something other than radioactive guages. Did they think we were going to eat them? The air we breath is more harmfull than those gauges are. Thanks for the info NDT.

 

[DeuceNewb]

so where can I get some radioactive gauges?

 

[Scarecrow1]

In the last 15 years I've had so many Xrays Homeland Security had me band from federal buildings. I doubt if the gauges would have hurt me.

 

[WillWagner]

You don't need extra radioactive sources embedded in your sinuses, or bones, irradiating your body tissues for the rest of your life.

Think of it as our own little onboard cancer fighting radiation treatment! We should live longer than expected now.

 

[x-ray]

Occupational radiation dose limits are:

5000 millirem per year to the whole body (torso)
50000 millirem to extremities (hands and feet)
500 millirem to fetus of pregnant worker.
This is how much one can get exposed to on the job, but no matter if the dose is within these limits radiation exposures should always be kept as low as reasonably achievable (less is better).

Acute radiation effects to health usually don't kick in until doses are above 25,000millirem
The LD50/60 where 50% of the exposed population would die (without medical treatment) is about 450,000 millirem.

A common dental x-ray is about 80 millirem as a comparison.

 

[usmc320]

I don't hear anybody mentioning the other gauges in the cluster. Is radiation only a concern in the speedometer? I'm not worried about it. Just curious.

 

[DeuceNewb]

yeh do all of them have it or is just the speedo. I want some.

 

[WyoDeuce]

Does anyone think that they aren't worried about us but worried that someone will collect several guages and use them as a poison? I didn't know of any place I could get radioactive material until I read about the guages on SS. Just my

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

My wife (born in Roswell NM - Home of the UFO Crash of 1947) will gladly "recycle" any rad-active gauges that y'all might be concerned about. She figures that it will take only about 157,258 gauges to have enough fuel to get the MotherShip back to her home planet.

....... We're Going HOME

 

[fuzzytoaster]

So..we cant crack them open and pour them in Mountain Dew? Dang.