Vulcan bomber radioactive still?

Hi, I have just spent today messing around a Vulcan bomber in the UK, Only paid £5.00 to go to the attraction. I was supprised to find Vulcan 360? in good condition and I was allowed to spend time in the cockpit. There were chains stoping you from sitting in the pilots seats but notthing stoping you from sitting in the EW, NAV, BOMBER, seats. When I asked why the chap said "Its still radioactive" Please can anyone explain why it should be so. "Dials"? with glow in the dark matterial. Health and safety matter he says. Would really like to given a answer to this. Many thanks.

When I was small I saw them everyday!

[edit on 3-4-2007 by Id123]

He might have been but ther were chains there!

Yeah, the dials have radon or other radioactive gasses in them, much like your typical exit sign. BTW, when an exit sign breaks, don't go anywhere near it...

They had to haul a warehouse in Benton Harbor Michigan a few years back because it was still full of WWII gages.

mikell

LOL you should of posted in the aviation forums there are a bunch of use their that love the Vulcan! As for the seats being radioactive thats bull. The gauges is doubt full since they realized their error shortly after WW2 when the people who drew the gauges by brush and would lick the brush to keep it pointy. Anyways If you want I'd post a link in the aviation forum or direct some of the gus here.

Actually, I believe the reason is because the dials are radioactive. Not in the sense that you know radioactivity - nuclear bombs etc.

The figures and hands on the dials were probably painted with Trilux paint. It glows in the dark and is usually found on watch hands/faces, weapon sights etc.

Trilux is radioactive and on G1098 [issue] watches or Silva compasses for example, the radiation released is about 1.5 GigaBecquerel - but only if the face or dial is broken.

Trilux itself is derived from Tritium which may be used to help trigger or accelerate nuclear detonation.

But as to why the area was chined off, in my opinion, that is overkill!

I dont know how to post this on the avation site, help please.

seems more like a precaution so no one can try and start the plane perhaps? I mean how do they get there? are the engines functional? sounds wise to me, as to the story it might have been a "short" answer. Why try spend 15 mintues trying to explain what happens when you turn over a "dry" engine, could be the reason for the "radio active" story.IMHO

does anyone know if the aircraft is functional?

As others have said, the radiation comes from the gadges which are usually painted with a slightly radioactive paint to make them glow in the dark. They've used the same stuff on watch dials so you can see then at night. Yes, it really is radioactive, but not to a toxic level. The radioactive coating won't kill you or give you cancer from one time looking if that's what you are worring about!

Tim

Exit signs, watch dials, and THOUSANDS of things use tritium to make them glow without electricity. It costs millions to clean up if they're broken, but they're not particularly dangerous UNLESS they're broken.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
Exit signs, watch dials, and THOUSANDS of things use tritium to make them glow without electricity. It costs millions to clean up if they're broken, but they're not particularly dangerous UNLESS they're broken.

I agree with Zaph, but even when broken they don't really pose that much of a problem.

Over the years I have had many broken Silva compasses pass through my hands and had the residue radioactive fluid (saline) spill over said hands. I have never felt any side effects.

As I tried to explain in an earlier post, the actual amount of radiation given off by this type of paint is minimal - about 1.5 gBq or Giga Bequerel, an amount so small as to be militarily insignificant.

Incidentally, the human body can withstand an exposure of roughly 350 - 400 cGys/Rontgens or Rads an hour for 1 hour before radiation sickness kicks in BUT that will be only mild sickness - headaches, nausea, flushed skin and at the higher doserate of 400 cGys, vomiting and diahorrea - very much like sunstroke - which in itself is very mild radiation sickness.

So, please do not have nightmares. 'They' will not hurt you.

It's not particularly harmful, but it's very expensive to clean up. A boy threw a fit in New Jersey, smashed ONE exit sign, and it cost $250,000 to clean up.