[time-nuts] beryllium oxide

Bruce Griffiths bruce.griffiths at xtra.co.nz
Fri Jan 16 19:33:29 UTC 2009


Rick Karlquist wrote:
> Robert Atkinson wrote:
>   
>> non-electronic application is in some (eg argon-ion) lasers.
>> on a side note some vacuum tubes (especially cold cathode types) contain
>> various radioactive materials.
>>
>> Robert G8RPI.
>>     
>
> Of interest to time nuts is that rubidium standards contain
> two isotopes of Rb, one of which is slightly radioactive.
> Also, if you have an Rb in your basement and it starts acting
> squirrely, it might be because you have helium in the air,
> since helium gets into "hermetic" stuff.  If you do have helium,
> it is because you have radon, which radiates helium ions,
> also known as alpha particles.
>
> Rick N6RK
>
>
>   
Radon diffuses up through the ground.
The radon is a daughter product from natural radioactive decay processes
within the Earth.
In some areas it is considered good practice to have good ventilation in
basements and under the floor to disperse the radon that would otherwise
accumulate.
There is some epidemiological evidence for enhanced cancer rates when
radon concentration is high.
The problem isn't the radon itself but its decay products

Bruce




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