A Luminous Tritium Keychain is a light emitting device made of radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Its main structure is that a closed glass tube filled with tritium gas, inside of glass tube is coated with fluorescent agent, and the electrons released by the beta decay contact with fluorescent, the phosphor glows. This process is called radiance. The illumination of the tritium does not require electrical energy from the outside, so it is often used on keychains.
The Characteristics Of Tritium Tubes
Tritium is a radioactive element that is extremely low in nature and must be synthesized by artificial means, and the yield is very limited. The structure of the tritium vial is very simple, that is, the inner wall of a glass tube is coated with a fluorescent coating, and a small amount of tritium gas is filled and sealed. The tritium gas will evenly release a small amount of electron flow, which excites the fluorescent material on the tube wall to cause it to emit light.
If a small amount of phosphorus is added to the tritium, the light color of the tritium tube can be changed. According to the different phosphorus content, the tube produced now has green, red, blue, yellow, purple, orange and white.
The Application of Tritium Vial
Since the illumination of the tritium does not require external energy input, it is common in high-end luminous diving, military watches and key chains. Some special are also used on the emergency exit sign.
In daily life, the most common place for tritium is the acrylic tritium keychains. The light emitted by the tritium is very weak and barely visible during the day, but the visibility can reach several meters at night. Because the half-life of tritium is 12.32 years, the service life of such self luminous keychains are about 10 to 25 years. During this time, the light of the tritium will gradually weaken. More than two half-lives, that is the light is very weak after 24 years.
The Impact Of Tritium Keychains On Human Health
Although tritium is radioactive, recent studies have shown that a small amount of enamel is not sufficient to pose a hazard to the human body. In 2007, a study by the UK Health Protection Agency mentioned that tritium are twice as harmful to humans as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has announced. However, since the tritium inside the luminous key buckle is sealed in the glass tube, there is also protection of the outer casing of the key ring, so unless the outer casing of the keychain is broken, the inner tube is also damaged, otherwise the impact on the human body is negligible.
Therefore, exposure to tritium radiation for a short period of time is harmless. If the it is ruptured, should be kept away from this area as soon as possible. If it is indoors, open the window to ventilate.