Glowing Watch Hands

[wannavegan]

My Seiko watch has a substance on the hands that make them glow in the dark for a little while. Is that substance radioactive? Does it pose a health risk?

[Ethel]

When luminous paint was first used, over a hundred years ago, it was made from a highly dangerous radioactive substance - Radium 226.

It caused many health problems, particularly to the women who painted the hands and dials of clocks and watches. It caused bone cancer and other diseases.

It was probably used for 60 years, or maybe more.

Nowadays a much safer substance is used - tritium.

I believe you can safely wear your watch.

[wannavegan]

Thanks, Ethel.

[qapmoc]

The vast majority of watches or clocks made before 1950 that have a thick yellowish or white paint on the hands or dial are made with radium.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the dangers of using radium was recognized and it was phased out in the US. Instead, either non-radioactive phosphorus compounds were used or various tritium compounds were used. Other countries, especially third world countries, still use radium. For example, Iraqi tanks captured during the Gulf War had radium dials on gauges.

In the last decade or so, tritium has also started to be phased out. Despite its lower risk compared to radium, it is still radioactive resulting in more red tape. The non-radioactive modern glow in the dark paints are often considered to be a better solution

[rojash]

Most modern watches do not use any radioactive substances, but use light-activated phosphors. You can easily tell if our watch has this kind dial by keeping it in the dark for a while, as they need a regular top-up of light to keep them activated. An example is Seiko's "Lumibrite"

[ianess]

There was a scare not very far from here a few months back regarding radioactive particles being found on a beach.
Turned out to be from luminous aircraft cockpit gauges that were dumped at the end of WW2.
I'm sure the health risk would be minimal but you know how easily folk are scared these days.
We're all gonna die of something.........lighten up!