Radioactive Antiques
Some antiques, particularly those containing radium, were made and sold before the health effects of radiation
were fully understood.

   •   Certain radioactive materials were used in antiques because of their unique color.

   •   Antiques containing radioactive material can continue to emit very low levels of radiation for thousands
       of years, if not longer.

   •   Antiques that contain radioactive materials are usually not a health risk if they are in good condition.

About  Radioactive Antiques

Along with furniture, clothing, jewelry, dishes and other treasures sold at flea markets and antique shops, you
just might find some items that contain radioactive material.  Some antiques, particularly those containing
radium, were made and sold before scientists understood the health effects of radiation. Certain radioactive
materials were used in antiques because of their unique color. For example:

   •   Clocks, watches and dials that glow in the dark without the use of a battery may contain radium or
       tritium.

   •   Ceramics made until the 1970s may have glazes colored with radionuclides.

   •   Vaseline glass or canary glass  contains a small amount of uranium. This gives the glass its yellow-
       green color. It also makes the glass glow bright green under a black light.

   •   Cloisonne jewelry gets some of its yellow, orange and off-white colors from small amounts of uranium
       in the glaze.
Radioactive antiques  can continue to emit very low levels of radiation for thousands of years, if not longer. The
amount of radiation these items emit is small. However, it will often register on a hand-held Geiger counter.

CLOCKS, WATCHES AND DIALS
Glow-in-the-dark paint is now made without radioactive material, but in
the early 1900s radioactive materials were used to make paint that
glowed. Radium is one type of radioactive material that could be found
in antiques. When radium was discovered in the early 1900s, people
were fascinated by its mysterious glow and it was added it to many
everyday products. Adding  radium to paint makes it glow-in-the-dark.
This paint was used in clock and watch  faces and hands. This glow-in-
the-dark paint was also used on airplane dials and  gauges, allowing
people to read clocks, gauges and dials at night with no other light.
During World War II, radium dials and gauges allowed pilots to fly at
night without cockpit lights.  This helped the pilots avoid being seen by       Radium was used to make clock
the enemy.                                                          faces and hands glow in the dark in
                                                                            the early 1900s.
  United States Environmental Protection Agency | Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (6608T) | EPA 402-F-14-020 | August 2014 | p. 1

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Radium is highly radioactive. It emits alpha, beta and gamma radiation. If it is inhaled or swallowed, radium is
particularly dangerous. Once inside the body, it emits radiation directly to living tissue, where it damages cells.
In the past, many workers who painted clock or instrument dials with radium ended up with cancer. To create
fine tips on their paint brushes for small surfaces, many radium dial painters licked the bristles of their
paintbrushes. In doing this, they often swallowed some of the radioactive paint. Many of these workers
developed bone cancer, usually in their jaw. By the 1970s, radium was no longer used on watch and clock
dials.

CERAMICS

Before the 1970s, many companies used radioactive minerals to color glazes. The most commonly used
minerals were uranium', thorium" and potassium. These elements emit alpha, beta and/or gamma  radiation.
These glazes can be found on floor and wall tiles, pottery and
other ceramics. Uranium was used in the glazes on Cloisonne
jewelry to make orange, yellow and green colors.
                                                             Caution: Do not try to take apart radium
                                                             dial clocks, watches or instruments.
                                          Uranium glass, Vaseline glass, or canary glass, glows bright green
                                                             under a black light.
GLASS
For hundreds of years, glassmakers
used small amounts of uranium to
create yellow or green glass. In the
1800s, this glass' yellow tint led to the
nicknames "Vaseline glass" and "canary
glass." Under an ultraviolet or "black"
light, the uranium causes the glass to
glow bright green.

After 1970, U.S. glassmakers and
ceramics makers stopped using
radioactive minerals for color. They are
still used in a few other countries.
Sometimes ceramics and glass with
radioactive coloring agents still enter the United States from these countries.

Rules and Guidance

Generally, federal and state governments do not regulate antiques. However, there are a few exceptions,
depending on where the radioactive material came from and the level of radioactivity.

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC)

NRC establishes regulations for licensing the sale, use, and disposal of radioactive materials. Licensing
requirements for the use of radioactive materials in consumer products are based on the quantity and
radioactivity of the materials. Generally, NRC does not regulate antiques, but there are a few exceptions
depending on the origin of the radiation source and the source strength.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

EPA's Superfund program cleans up badly contaminated sites. Contamination at some of these sites includes
antiques containing radioactive  materials. For example, one clean-up site contained more than one million
World War II aircraft gauges with radium dials. Many of these radioactive sources were leaking.
  United States Environmental Protection Agency | Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (6608T) | EPA 402-F-14-020 | August 2014 | p. 2

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT)

DOT sets rules for shipping hazardous materials by highway, rail, air and boat. Radioactive materials above a
certain levels are treated as hazardous materials.

What you can do

Radioactive antiques are usually not a health risk if they are in good condition. However, adding additional
radioactive pieces to your collection could increase your health risk. To ensure that your health risk is minimal:

    •   Do not attempt to take apart radium watches or instrument dials.

    •   Do not use ceramics like orange-red Fiestaware or Vaseline glass to hold food or drink.

    •   Dispose of any broken radioactive antiques. For instructions on proper disposal, contact your state or
       local radiation control program"'.

Where to learn more

You can learn more about radioactive antiques by visiting the resources available on the following webpage:
http://www.epa.qov/radtown/antiques.htmltflearn-more.
' http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/uranium.html
" http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/thorium.html
"' http://www.crcpd.org/Map/
  United States Environmental Protection Agency | Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (6608T) |  EPA 402-F-14-020 | August 2014 | p. 3

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