[jsimion423]

So my wife told me I don't need to carry my gun since my fresh sights are tridium h3 radioactive isotope. She says we will all be sterile.

 

[Argyle64]

She is incorrect just like all women.

 

[SeventiesWreckers]

Tritium is a low energy beta emitter, it's radiation can't even penetrate human skin. It has a short biological half life so even if you ingested the sights themselves it would naturally process out of your system in less than two weeks. It's in gas form in the TruGlos where it excites the phosphorus inside the sealed tube. Don't crack the tube though, 'cause your checkbook will get hurt.

 

[EclecticGlocker]

Yea, thats just silly talk. Its kinda like the old wives tale of radiation emitted from your cell phone causing brain cancer, or opening the microwave door to fast. There are far worse things in life to worry about. Besides, do you know how much radiation your are dosed with on a daily basis from outerspace?

 

[jonm61]

If that were true there would be a lot of sterile people running around in uniforms with badges on. Since I know many officers with children, that alone should be enough to demonstrate that she's wrong.

...encapsulated tritium lighting devices, typically taking the form of a luminous glass tube embedded in a thick block of clear plastic, prevent the user from being exposed to the tritium at all unless the device is broken apart.

Tritium presents no external radiation threat when encapsulated in non-hydrogen-permeable containers due to its low penetration depth, which is insufficient to penetrate intact human skin. The primary danger from tritium arises if it is inhaled, ingested, injected or otherwise absorbed into the body. This results in the emitted radiation being absorbed in a relatively small region of the body, again due to the low penetration depth. The biological half-life of tritium—the time it takes for half of an ingested dose to be expelled from the body—is low, at only 12 days. Tritium excretion can be accelerated further by increasing water intake to 3-4 liters/day.[2]

Direct, short-term exposure to small amounts of tritium is relatively harmless. If a tritium tube should break, one should leave the area and allow the gas to diffuse into the air. Tritium exists naturally in the environment, but in very small quantities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_illumination#Small_arms_sights

Also, let's not forget luminous watches...if your watch glows in the dark, it's got tritium in the hands and face.

 

[Happysniper1]

Edited thread title.