Can tritium be absorbed through the skin?

Tritium is a relatively weak source of beta radiation. The beta particle itself does not have enough energy to penetrate the skin. Tritium molecules can enter the body by breathing air containing tritium, or by ingesting tritiated food and water. Tritiated water can be absorbed through the skin like regular water.

Is tritium highly radioactive?

Tritium is radioactive and has a half-life of about 12.5 years, which means that half of the radioactive atoms will decay naturally in that time. Although tritium can be a gas under controlled conditions, its most common form is liquid, because, like hydrogen, tritium reacts with oxygen to form water.

When did watches stop using tritium?

Since tritium watches are also considered to be potentially hazardous, the use of tritium in watches was finally stopped in the 1990s. Since then, timepieces are made with Super-LumiNova, a pure phosphorescent luminescent material that is free of any radioactive additives and based on an alkaline earth aluminate.

Is tritium safe Rolex?

Rolex adopted Tritium as a safer alternative to Radium (another radioactive material); however since Tritium is significantly less radioactive than Radium, it only has a half-life of approximately 12.5 years.

What happens if you are exposed to tritium?

Tritium does not have chemically toxic effects and its potential to be hazardous to human health is solely because it emits ionizing radiation (the beta particle). This radiation exposure may very slightly increase the probability that a person will develop cancer during his or her lifetime.

Can you legally own tritium?

Tritium does not in itself emit light but excites phosphors, thereby generating light. Due to U.S. regulations regarding radioactive substances, all of the above items can be legally sold in the U.S., as the manufacturers of such products require special licensing in order to integrate tritium into their products.

Did Rolex ever use radium?

RADIUM. The first luminous material used in Rolex watches was radium; and it remained the standard until 1963. Before then, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, until the highly toxic material caused radiation poisoning among factory workers.