Badmovies.org Forum

I stopped by a friend's house the other day and we were sitting at the table in the basement when he handed me an old smoke detector.

Here's a pic:
(click on thumbnail to enlarge)
(http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/4413/smokealarm001db3.th.jpg) (http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=smokealarm001db3.jpg)

I looked at it for a second and then he said, "Turn it over".
At first I didn't see what he was talking about...and then I saw it.

Click on the thumbnail below to see the reverse side up close:

(http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/7177/smokealarm002pb5.th.jpg) (http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=smokealarm002pb5.jpg)

What the?!
What material could be in it?

Yep......that seems about right......  :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle:

That is an ionization smoke detector, one of the more "sensitive" ones.  They have a small amount of radioactive material so that they can detect fires.  We have a Kidde photoelectric and ionization detector outside the bedrooms.  It has the same sort of warning on the back.  It also lists the material in it as Americium-241.  It appears that Americium-241 emits very little radioactivity and you are perfectly safe so long as you don't go breaking it apart to get at the little dot of material.

Let me see.........we have TV's, Microwaves and now fire detectors in our homes with just a little radioactive material. What next?  It's starting to add up.  :lookingup:

Actually, you might be surprised at the household items containing radioactive material.  We once held a geiger counter up to some china dinner plates and the thing went nuts.  Be careful what you look for, eh?

As for smoke detectors, a colleague of mine used to use one to calibrate his detection equipment.   :teddyr:

All that said, there's three types of "radiation:" alpha, beta and gamma.  The really bad one is gamma; alpha and beta radiation is not that bad, but is still called 'radiation.'  Even gamma radiation is a very broad term, as it refers to any "light" of higher frequency than x-rays.

Well, nothing quite as bad as the following:

http://www.badmovies.org/multimedia/movies6/cabyss1.mpg

Come on, how many times do you get to hear someone say, "Damn it!  Who opened the radioactive container?"

Where'd you get a geiger counter?  How much does one cost?
Why would china dinner plates contain radioactive material?

Thanks for the radioactivity info.
I don't know much about it...maybe I'll have to study up on it.

And Andrew, I've seen that clip before...hilarious!   :bouncegiggle: