Exposure. Over many years
companies have grown aware of the thorium inside of the lanterns
and therefore the production has significantly decreased. In the mid 1950s nearly 70 percent of the thorium that was being produced in the United States was used for the coating of mantles in camping lanterns.
Are lantern mantles still radioactive?
Although most people are unaware of the problem,
the mantles in such lamps are actually radioactive
. . . possibly enough so to threaten the health of folks who depend on them. The lantern–long a standby source of light–may pose a health threat due to radioactive danger from mantle lamps.
Are Coleman lantern mantles radioactive?
Those mantles emitted alpha particles which can’t penetrate paper or your external skin. In the 90s, Coleman switched over to using yttrium instead, which is
NOT radioactive
.
When did Coleman stop using thorium?
Sometime
around 1990
, the Coleman Company replaced the thorium in their mantles with yttrium.
What are camping lantern mantles made of?
The mantles are a
ceramic mesh
that encase the flame produced by the lantern. Typical mantles look like this: Mantles start out as silk fabric sacks impregnated with different oxides. The standard for decades has been the Welsbach mantle, which uses a mixture of thorium oxide, cerium oxide and magnesium oxide.
What is the half life of thorium?
The time required for a radioactive substance to lose 50 percent of its radioactivity by decay is known as the half-life. The half-life of thorium- 232 is very long at about
14 billion years
.
Are Aladdin mantles radioactive?
The mantle, being composed of rare earth elements, is
very slightly radioactive
so you do not want fine particles from a broken mantle to become part of the household dust.
What material are mantles made of?
The mantle is a mesh bag of
fabric impregnated with a solution of nitrates of cerium and one or more of the following metals: thorium, beryllium, aluminum, or magnesium
.
What is thorium dioxide used for?
Thorium Dioxide is a heavy, white, crystalline (sand-like) powder. It is used
in ceramics, in nuclear fuels, as a catalyst, and in electrodes for arc welding
.
Where do you get thorium?
The most common source of thorium is the rare earth phosphate mineral, monazite
, which contains up to about 12% thorium phosphate, but 6-7% on average. Monazite is found in igneous and other rocks but the richest concentrations are in placer deposits, concentrated by wave and current action with other heavy minerals.
Are Coleman lanterns safe to use indoors?
ANSWER: Burning any fossil fuel indoors is potentially dangerous. Coleman lanterns burn fossil fuel and
if used indoors create the potential for a fatal buildup of carbon monoxide
. For this reason, Coleman strongly urges consumers to use its lanterns only outdoors.
Are thorium lantern mantles safe?
Thorium dioxide was commonly a major component; being radioactive, it has led to concerns about the safety of those involved in manufacturing mantles.
Normal use, however, poses minimal health risk
.
How much thorium is in a lantern mantle?
In the mid 1950s nearly 70 percent of the thorium that was being produced in the United States was used for the coating of mantles in camping lanterns. [5] Each mantle contained
nearly 250 mg
of thorium.
Are peerless mantles radioactive?
Many will know that some mantles, which use Thorium as their main ingredient, are radioactive, while the Peerless mantles which we stock use a different rare earth element called Yttrium which is
non-radioactive
.
How did old lanterns work?
At first lanterns were
iron baskets full of wood knots, which were hung from poles and kept lit during the night to illuminate the crossroads
. They were replaced by oil lanterns that used whale oil as a fuel and after that, gas lanterns. Portable lanterns used kerosene as fuel and can still be found in use.
How did Victorian gas lights work?
In 1792, William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, equipped his home with pipes that delivered coal gas to lamps, giving birth to “gas lighting.
The coal gas combined with oxygen in the air to produce carbon dioxide, water vapour, heat and light
.
Why did they name thorium after Thor?
| Discovery date 1829 | Origin of the name Thorium is named after Thor, the Scandinavian god of war. | Allotropes |
|---|
Can you touch thorium?
Alpha particles do not penetrate the human skin and is therefore not dangerous.
Thorium-232 is safe provided we are not stupid enough to eat it or ground it up into a fine powder and inhale it
.
Is thorium safer than uranium?
Thorium-based reactors are safer
because the reaction can easily be stopped and because the operation does not have to take place under extreme pressures. Compared to uranium reactors, thorium reactors produce far less waste and the waste that is generated is much less radioactive and much shorter-lived.
Are gas lanterns safe?
Are gas lanterns safe for my home?
Yes. Gas lanterns operate using either natural gas or propane which are safe, clean burning fuels
. The fuel for the lanterns is controled by a switch which only emits enough fuel at one time to light the flame.
How many times can you use a lantern mantle?
The mantles are fragile but
if you store and transport the lantern upright in a case, they can last a season
. The surest ways to damage mantles is to touch them or lay/drop the lantern on its side. I always keep a couple spares in the lantern case. 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Are Aladdin lamps still made?
| Aladdin Lamp Burners Genuine Aladdin Oil Lamp Chimneys Aladdin Oil Lamp Heater Wicks | Miscellaneous Aladdin Oil Lamp parts Aladdin Lamp Oil Aladdin oil lamp Tripods |
|---|
When were gas mantles invented?
The gas mantle was invented in
1880
a short time before the electric bulb. So the gas mantles became exstinct as houses were lit by electricity.
Is the mantle solid liquid or gas?
The mantle is the
mostly-solid
bulk of Earth’s interior. The mantle lies between Earth’s dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust.
When was gas lighting phased out?
Gas was used to light streetlamps until
the 1950s
when it was replaced in most areas by electricity. Before the 1800s, most homes, workplaces and streets were lit by candles, oil lamps or rushlights (rush plants dried and dipped in grease or fat).
