Time to decorate! I'll take this
potpourri urn, these palm frond bookends, a nice neutral-colored bathmat, and
WHY IS THIS TISSUE BOX EMITTING DANGEROUS RADIATION?!!
 |
| The recalled tissue box from Bed Bath & Beyond. source |
In
reality, radiation contamination in consumer products is no laughing matter,
and this is no isolated case. Contaminated
consumer products have been traded between many countries, and a wide range of
products have been identified.
In 2009,
Wal-Mart was fined almost $400,000 by the Nuclear Regulatory Committee for exit
signs containing radioactive material2. 500 sets of radioactive elevator buttons were
found in France in 20083. A few cheese graters turned up in Michigan
containing cobalt-60, the same isotope found in the Bed Bath & Beyond’s tissue
box holders. Even a batch of 1000 La-Z-Boy recliners was found to have
radioactive metal brackets in 19984. Due to the common occurrence of radiation in
consumer products, the US government even set up a Nuclear Material Events
Database in 1990. Since then over 20,000
cases of radiation releases have been documented5.
The
additional radiation exposure to consumers of these products is generally low
level but still a cause for concern. The
tissue boxes were estimated to expose consumers using bathrooms with the boxes
to the equivalent of a few extra chest x-rays per year. Unexpected radiation sources add up: chronic
exposure of even low doses of radiation can lead to cataracts, cancer and birth
defects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2005 study of
more than 6,000 Taiwanese who lived in apartments built with radioactive
reinforcing steel from 1983 to 2005 showed a statistically significant increase
in leukemia and breast cancer 6.
The
question remains: if we don’t carry a radiation detector with us every time we
go shopping, how will we know which products to avoid? The solution has to involve better detection
along increasingly complex supply chains.
Most of the tainted metal introduced into consumer products comes from
contaminated batches of scrap metal, sometimes containing radiation acquired in
nuclear power activities. As this metal
travels is formed, shaped, and implemented in products, too few check points
are involved to catch radiation. Radiation
detectors need to become part of the manufacturing process, not just a
safeguard against large foreign radiation sources. And due to the wide range of consumer
products tainted by radioactive materials, detectors need to screen more
products.
With new
guideless and increased detection during manufacturing and distribution, we can
finally be confident that our next hot buy won’t really be hot.
____________________________________________________________________________
D-tect
Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment
sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com.
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