Radioactive Contamination in Consumer Products

Early this year the home retail chain Bed Bath & Beyond recalled over 200 shipments of a brushed steel tissue box holder.  The stir caused by the recall inspired great headlines like this one from Gizmodo¹:

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.

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D-tect Systems is a supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com.

1.      http://gizmodo.com/5875898/bed-bath--beyond-caught-selling-radioactive-tissue-boxes

2.      http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0930/ML093050018.pdf

3.      http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/12/business/fi-radioactive12

4.      http://nmed.inl.gov/AnnualReports/NMEDFY10%20Annual.pdf

5.      http://public.shns.com/node/43582

6.      http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-19/nuclear-risks-at-bed-bath-and-beyond-show-hidden-danger-of-scrap

Radon: Radiation on the Home Front

It seeps up through the ground, pooling in basements and cellars. It can infiltrate our homes and even our lungs, spreading radiation with every ripple of breeze. Present in nearly every country of the world, this substance is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It kills thousands every year and requires special equipment to locate.

Although this sounds like something from a cheesy science fiction film, radon gas is a real threat to people all over the world. Radon-related diseases cause about 21,000 deaths per year in the US¹ (almost twice the number of drunk driving deaths), meaning in most countries only smoking causes more deaths from lung disease.

Deaths Per Year - Source: http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html

The first reason radon is dangerous is because it’s all around us. The EPA estimates that 1 out of every 15 homes in the US has elevated radon levels² . In almost every country radon is the largest natural source of human exposure to ionizing radiation and makes up over half the radiation each person is exposed to in a year. Since radon is a decay product of uranium, it is more often found where there are large concentrations of granite, like those occurring in Ireland and the UK, Canada, and some US states such as Iowa and Pennsylvania.  

Radon Test Kit - Source: http://visualsonline.cancer.gov

The physical properties of radon also contribute to its effect on people.  Radon is one of the most dense gases on our planet – over 8 times denser than the atmosphere at sea level. This causes it to pool at the bottom of whatever container it is in. Because of this, elevated radiation levels from radon are found in the lower levels and basements of buildings. It also means that when breathed in, radon gets trapped in the bottom of the lungs and has more potential to do damage. Radon emits mostly alpha radiation which is made up of fast-moving particles with more mass than beta or gamma radiation. Alpha radiation doesn’t penetrate very well – it can be stopped by as little as a piece of paper or human skin. So the real risk to humans from alpha radiation is when it gets inside us and starts to affect our internal organs. Because it is a gas, almost all the damage done is in the lungs and can lead to lung cancer.   

The good news about radon is that it is easily detectable and many options are available to lessen radon risks in the home. Short- and long-term radon test kits are inexpensive and commercially available throughout the world. A short-term test (which takes several days) gives the homeowner an estimate of radon concentration in the home, and a subsequent long-term test (which takes a year or more) can give a more precise measurement. There are varying ‘action levels’ of radon throughout the world, but most countries recommend taking some action to reduce radon if average concentrations are above 4 pCi per liter of air³. Solutions to lower radon concentrations include venting air from lower stories of a house or pressurizing areas to keep external gases out.

An example of radon venting from the US EPA.

Although radon may sound scary and looks pretty bad on paper, many people can significantly lower their risk of radiation exposure from radon. Good information is widely available on this subject, including the World Health Organization’s Radon Handbook and A Citizen’s Guide to Radon by the US Environmental Protection Agency.  

1) http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html

2) http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html

3) http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs291/en/index.html

D-tect Systems is supplier of advanced radiation and chemical detection equipment sold around the world. www.dtectsystems.com.