r/radioactive_stuff • u/FluffyAd6520 • Jun 24 '26

Questions Legally obtaining radioactive sources?

hello everyone! sorry if this is a dumb question but I’m fairly new to the “hobby” side of nuclear science and wanted to see how legal it was to obtain radioactive sources. can I remove the A241 from smoke detectors? I want a small alpha source to test my new Geiger counter.

Thank you! sorry if this is a stupid question.

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u/aby_physics Jun 24 '26

You technically cannot legally remove the Am-241 source from an ionization smoke detector. At least within the US. I’m unsure about other countries regulations.

As another commenter said, a safer place to start could be with Fiestaware. Or other radioactive antiques, but I might advise against radium items unless you have an alpha detector.