Need advice, very serious

threeoutside · Oct 4, 2008

Hello APUG members,

I've been selling off my late husband's darkroom and photography equipment since early this year, and I have gotten so much help and kindness from everyone! I think you.

But I'm a bit concerned - I was just rummaging in his old tool box from when he did graphics arts photography for an agency - maybe 30 years ago? Anyway, I came across a StaticMaster brush, which I assume he used to brush dust off of negatives, etc. But on the handle it has a warning label - and I really don't want to get investigated because this trips some HSD filter so I'm going to mess up the word, just read between the numbers and symbols, OK? It apparently has -p2o l_o^*#n329i%./u002m$#@ in it. Sorry if that's hard to read. But it's really nasty stuff - was in the international news a couple years ago - and I don't know whether I should find out how to dispose of it, or what? The label says "in solid form" and no doubt there's a TEENSY tiny amount, but still...this took be aback.

Advice, anyone?

Terry Hickman

threeoutside · Oct 4, 2008

Hello APUG members,

I've been selling off my late husband's darkroom and photography equipment since early this year, and I have gotten so much help and kindness from everyone! I thank you.

But I'm a bit concerned - I was just rummaging in his old tool box from when he did graphics arts photography for an agency - maybe 30 years ago? Anyway, I came across a StaticMaster brush, which I assume he used to brush dust off of negatives, etc. But on the handle it has a warning label - and I really don't want to get investigated because this trips some HSD filter so I'm going to mess up the word, just read between the numbers and symbols, OK? It apparently has -p2o l_o^*#n329i%./u002m$#@ in it. Sorry if that's hard to read. But it's really nasty stuff - was in the international news a couple years ago - and I don't know whether I should find out how to dispose of it, or what? The label says "in solid form" and no doubt there's a TEENSY tiny amount, but still...this took be aback.

Advice, anyone?

Terry Hickman

Lee L · Oct 4, 2008

The brushes used to be accepted for recycling and proper disposal by the manufacturer. They may still be. The company is at: http://www.amstat.com/solutions/staticmaster.html and there's a toll free contact number so that you can ask them the best thing to do.

Don't panic. There are lots of these around and the polonium is encapsulated. If you don't ingest it, you're OK.

Lee

bdial · Oct 4, 2008

The material is encapsulated in tiny ceramic beads, as I recall. It's in the metal cartridge on the underside of the brush, as you surmise, there is only a tiny amount, not particularly dangerous obviously, but not inert either.
Probably the best and easiest way to deal with it would be to take it to your community's hazardous waste collection point. Assuming doing so won't set off a panic, anyway.

These brushes are still made, an alternative might be to contact the company, http://www.amstat.com/staticmaster.html

JBrunner · Oct 4, 2008

I have had several of these brushes. They are totally legal to own, and are fairly common. The amount of Polonium in them is miniscule, and is set under the metal grid. Nothing to be afraid of, unless you eat it. If you are getting rid of it, follow the instructions on the brush, or take it to your local hazmat disposal.

There are minute amounts of radioactive isotopes in very many common things, smoke detectors, crystal, watch faces, etc. No big deal.

thebanana · Oct 4, 2008

They are still being sold as far as I know. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about.

resummerfield · Oct 4, 2008

Don't worry about it. These brushes lose effectiveness after a few years, so your brush is probably completely inert.

Larry Bullis · Oct 4, 2008

threeoutside said:
Hello APUG members,

I've been selling off my late husband's darkroom and photography equipment since early this year, and I have gotten so much help and kindness from everyone! I think you.

But I'm a bit concerned - I was just rummaging in his old tool box from when he did graphics arts photography for an agency - maybe 30 years ago? Anyway, I came across a StaticMaster brush, which I assume he used to brush dust off of negatives, etc. But on the handle it has a warning label - and I really don't want to get investigated because this trips some HSD filter so I'm going to mess up the word, just read between the numbers and symbols, OK? It apparently has -p2o l_o^*#n329i%./u002m$#@ in it. Sorry if that's hard to read. But it's really nasty stuff - was in the international news a couple years ago - and I don't know whether I should find out how to dispose of it, or what? The label says "in solid form" and no doubt there's a TEENSY tiny amount, but still...this took be aback.

Advice, anyone?

Terry Hickman

It's polonium. I use them. I've bought used ones at thrift stores to be sure they are mostly just brushes with very little radioactivity. Used to be, and probably you still can do this, you could send them back in to have their radioactive elements replaced.

tim_walls · Oct 4, 2008

The half life of the stuff you're referring to is about 140 days, and decays to a stable isotope of lead. If it's 30 years old, I'd not worry too much!

30 years is 78 half lives, so if you started with 10 grams, by now you'd have (10 / (2 ^ 78)) = 3 x 10^-23 grams left. I.e., right now you'd have 0.00000000000000000000003 grams of the bad stuff.

And I doubt it started with as much as 10 grams.

(Edit: Ahem. This stuff decaying releases energy in the order of 140 watts/gram. If it had had 10g to start with you'd have been using it to heat the living room... I think we can safely say it was a vanishingly small amount to start with, and by now it's going to be a vanishingly, vanishingly, undetectably small amount.)

In any event, it's an alpha emitter, so unless you swallow it it's harmless - alpha particles can't really get through anything; the skin is a highly effective barrier (as is the air for that matter.)

When I was at school we used to cheerfully handle alpha emitters, although they were less safety conscious times - we also used to use asbestos mats as weapons, after all .

nworth · Oct 4, 2008

Polonium is an alpha emitter with a fairly short half-life (138.4 days). It decays to stable lead. In the amounts used in the brush, it was safe unless you ate it (and maybe even then). If the brush is more than five years old, too little remains to be of any concern. Smoke detectors contain radioactive material as hazardous as this.

tim_walls · Oct 4, 2008

nworth said:
Polonium is an alpha emitter with a fairly short half-life (138.4 days). It decays to stable lead. In the amounts used in the brush, it was safe unless you ate it (and maybe even then). If the brush is more than five years old, too little remains to be of any concern. Smoke detectors contain radioactive material as hazardous as this.

So what you're saying is - I need to be less verbose, right?

MikeSeb · Oct 4, 2008

tim_walls said:
So what you're saying is - I need to be less verbose, right?

Tim, as a fellow bloviator, nothing I like better than a well-filled-out paragraph or two. Your explanation was both lucid and entertaining. Good to know physicists also like to make photographs!

Don't like the conciseness-Nazis scare you. Carry on man.

JBrunner · Oct 4, 2008

tim_walls said:
So what you're saying is - I need to be less verbose, right?

Yes, I enjoyed learning about this in more detail as well.

tim_walls · Oct 5, 2008

MikeSeb said:
Tim, as a fellow bloviator, nothing I like better than a well-filled-out paragraph or two. Your explanation was both lucid and entertaining. Good to know physicists also like to make photographs!

Don't like the conciseness-Nazis scare you. Carry on man.

. Ahh, no, physicists look down on the likes of me - I'm an engineer. Of course, in retrospect that means it was maybe a mistake marrying a physicist .

No, I looked at nworth's post and thought "why the hell couldn't I have just written that?" I blame being told to "show your workings" for all those years in school and university .

TheDreadPirateRobins · Oct 5, 2008

My sisters are both science teachers and told me not to worry about polonium in such a small quantity that's been sitting around for a long time. Still, I wouldn't eat it if I were you. I think there are a lot of good suggestions here for disposal. My area's regional government has a phone number one can call for tips and answers on disposing of hazardous materials - they figure its better to have a service like this rather than have everyone dump their old paint down the drain, I guess - and your area may have something similar.

threeoutside · Oct 6, 2008

Wow, thanks everyone! I feel much better. I knew almost nothing about polonium - though I did study alpah emitters in college, too, and we used them in medical research routinely.

Do you think it would be okay if I offered it for sale on APUG, as long as I made clear how old it is? It obviously isn't worth a lot, but someone might get some use out of it as a fine-bristle brush...

Saganich · Oct 6, 2008

The rule for radioactivity is after 10 half lives (1384 days) it isn't considered radioactive and can be disposed of via normal means. No worries.

ElAlacran · Oct 7, 2008

Keep the brush. The bristles are good quality. I keep one in my camera bag for dusting off SLR mirrors and film compartments, etc. IF you are concerned about the radioactive component--and it was manufactured with the brush because the ionizing radiation would reverse the static attraction of dust for delicate surfaces--just discard it safely. I'd probably dump it in next time I mixed up concrete for fence posts, but you may be more environmentally responsible.

Need advice, very serious

threeoutside

threeoutside

Lee L

bdial

JBrunner

Moderator

thebanana

resummerfield

Larry Bullis

tim_walls

nworth

tim_walls

MikeSeb

JBrunner

Moderator

tim_walls

TheDreadPirateRobins

threeoutside

Saganich

ElAlacran

Need advice, very serious

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