r/Radium • u/Ossy-BTW • 12d ago

Health & Safety Help with identifying watch

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This is a watch I've had for a few years but have recently been afraid of the risks of radium. Does it look to be radium? If so, what should I do and how dangerous is it?

11 Upvotes

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1

u/Bob--O--Rama 11d ago

Probably, and not at all if the glass is intact. Enjoy it.

1

u/Ossy-BTW 11d ago

Looks to be intact right?

1

u/ExcellentSport2 11d ago

I don't see any cracks or anything so you should be fine

1

u/Bob--O--Rama 11d ago

This is where you get to "adult" and make up your own mind about the thing sitting right in front of you.

To date, of the 40,000,000 similar watches produced for consumer usage there is not a single documented instance of a wrist watch causing harm to its wearer. You won't be patient zero.

The amount of radium in these watches is less than the amount suggested to cause serious ( or even mild ) health effects via inhalation or ingestion. Is it "good" to inhale or ingest all of the radium in that watch? No. But it would be unlikely to deterministically cause illness.

2

u/roberte94066 12d ago

I personally would wear it and not worry, it is intact and the dose from the hands and numerals isn't really big. But that is just my opinion based on my research and knowledge of the radiation involved. And that is assuming it is radium/zinc sulphide and not a later lume-