Beyond low-level activity: On a “non-radioactive” gas mantle

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• 作者：Karin Poljanc ; Georg Steinhauser ; Johannes H. Sterba ; Karl Buchtela ; Max Bichler
• 关键词：Thorium ; Incandescent gas lantern mantle ; Auer mantle ; Carl Auer von Welsbach ; Radioactivity
• 刊名：Science of the Total Environment
• 出版年：2007
• 出版时间：1 March 2007
• 年：2007
• 卷：374
• 期：1
• 页码：36-42
• 全文大小：664 K

文摘

Gas mantles for camping gas lanterns sometimes contain thorium compounds. During the last years, the use of thorium-free gas mantles has become more and more popular due to the avoidance of a radioactive heavy metal. We investigated a gas mantle type that is declared to be “non-radioactive” and that can be bought in Austria at the moment. Methods used were Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), γ-spectroscopy, and Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC). We found massive thorium contents of up to 259 mg per gas mantle. Leaching experiments showed that only 0.4 % of the Th but approximately 90 % of the decay products of ²³²Th can be leached under conditions simulating sucking and chewing with human saliva. In this paper, the investigation of these gas mantles including the consideration of the environmental hazard caused by disposed mantles and the health hazard for unsuspecting consumers is presented and legal consequences are discussed for this fraud.