it give out beta radiation i think (like a beta light i think) as to the ammount of radiation, no worse than an old fashioned watch, which also used radioactive stuff. and as mentioned, don't break the vial, we were warned about the sight on the SA80, if one got broke we were to evacuate the area rapid, especially if indoors. hope that helps!
steve

Hey I lived 300 miles from Chernobyl and still waiting for my Hulk powers...

Alain, There's a lot of misinformation floating around on this thread concerning tritium. Let me pass on what I was taught in EOD school and hopefully dispel some of the myths.

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that emits beta type particles. It is the weakest beta emitter. The range of the particles is about 5mm in air and 0.005mm in water or soft tissue. Being a hydrogen isotope, tritium is lighter than air and is easily dispersed in even the slightest breeze.

Besides nuclear weapons, tritium is used in watches, compasses, gun sights, and, apparently, glow rings. If someone orders about 10,000 of these things then you might be concerned that they were trying to use the tritium in a homemade nuke. To my mind, the more pressing concern is that they already have a few kilos of plutonium that can be made into a weapon, even without tritium enhancement.

The only immediate danger posed by breaking a gun sight, glow ring, or whatever is if you happen to break it while you're chewing on it. Even then I'd be more worried about the glass I was ingesting than the tritium contained there in.

I suspect that the only purpose of export restrictions is yet another piece of political "feel-good" legislation to let the uninformed masses sleep at night knowing their government is protecting them.

Hope this helps,

Ed

Aside from export restrictions on the glow ring, the US actually has import restrictions on this product. A friend and I tried to obtain a legal permit to import them, but could not. The emmissions, though certainly safe, are greater than that allowed in the US for a "Novelty Item".

That being said, I think they're very useful. Have one attached to every flashlight I own.

Well, I won't be able to help you.

Right after the Tchernobyl accident, the french government issued that the radioactive clouds were blocked right at the border and never entered France !!!!! <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

(that's true, no kidding !! they really said that BS !!!!)

Yes my grandfather found out from radio Free Europe that Swedish gov't picked up unusally high radiation reading. Concerned they released a warning which than forced Russian gov't to admit to Chernobyl explosion. I was about 10 years old but I still remember the horrible taste of Iodine that my mom made me drink. Russians also told Poland that mountains will stop the radiation cloud from traveling. Well sucks for me... we were on the wrong side of the mountains. But that would explain unusually great mushroom and berry picking season we had the following fall.

Matt

ps.
Speaking of France. My granfather got a medal for fighting at Monte Casino. He always was singing a song how flowers there will always be red from all the blood spiled. Good man.

As far as I remember reading, Monte Casino was the most expensive battle, in terms of human lives, of the whole Italian campaign.

In my area of origin (Lorraine), we have many people from Polish extraction. Their ancestors came to work in the coalmines.
My father's italian folks came later on (I believe..), to work in the iron mines.

All those mines are closed now, but a few.


Alain