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Post by rw16610 on Apr 20, 2022 16:13:15 GMT -6
I'll never forget reading the Radium Girls' story many years back which was posted on another forum. Such a tragedy, but historically significant and impactful. It among similar situations of the era ultimately aided with the creation of better conditions for workers. Browsing vintage pieces for fun, I for some reason started to think of this. That lead to me buying this book from Amazon with illustrations, which would be a similar experience to reading the article. Plenty of these watches still exist, and an eBay search for Radium Watch proved this to me. I would not want to own a piece that has this history or harmful material on the dial, but it got me wondering. 1968 was the year Radium was apparently banned for use in watches, and by that time a lot less was being used vs. the early 1900s. For watches from the 50s, how can one be sure, as not all sellers may be aware or take images with a Geiger Counter like I've seen some do. Although I'm not planning on buying another watch, I was seriously considering the Fortis Marinemaster 8002 a few months ago, a 50s piece: I've seen some YouTube videos with Radium watches being serviced and restored, and it's quite alarming I find. The first 3-5 mins then at the halfway point you'll see him addressing this: Any thoughts on if that Fortis I was previously considering had Radium on the dial and hands? Certainly something for both buyers and sellers to be well aware of.
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Baco Noir
WWF Advisor
WWF Admin
Posts: 31,273
Name: Roger
Since: Mar 14, 2011 13:09:50 GMT -6
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Post by Baco Noir on Apr 20, 2022 19:51:20 GMT -6
Ra226 has a half life of 1600 years and it takes 7 half lives to basically fully decay. Ra226 decays by giving of an alpha particle which can not penetrate dead skin, much less the metal or crystal. The hazard is associated with ingestion - that’s where alpha particles can do damage. So servicing needs to be done by someone who understands that and washes their hands when done and doesn’t lick them in the process.
Ra266 decays to radon, which is a radioactive gas, but in a well ventilated area, radon is not a concern.
It’s all about understanding the hazards and mitigating them.
The restoration video was very cool. I am surprised though that they didn’t remove, clean and replace the jewels from the bridges.
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Post by rw16610 on Apr 20, 2022 20:39:09 GMT -6
Baco Noir Thanks for that great information! I'm certainly in the process of educating myself with regards to mitigating risks and being aware, even if I don't end up with a pre 1968 piece that has Ra226 on the dial / hands. Zero interest in this piece, but it was one of the few sellers who actually provided some forewarning (from what I saw thus far). This watch has more of an open case design for lack of a better word, similar to a poket watch. Another listing of theirs: I'm intrigued by this and the facts surrounding the safe handling of watches containing Ra226 has me more open to potentially owning one some day.
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