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World War II aircraft gauge with radium dial

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Military and Wartime2255 of 7283Collage of Confederate HeroesWorld War II compass with radium dial
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    Posted 8 years ago

    RadiumGuy
    (27 items)

    These World War II era aircraft gauges were painted with radium paint so they could be seen by pilots flying at night. Radium is about 1 million times more radioactive than Uranium so if all of the cockpit gauges were painted with radium, being shot down was not the only danger. Being at high altitudes exposes you to higher radiation levels & the radium dials are spewing out radioactive particles which will decay to radon gas. I hope their cockpits were well ventilated...

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    Comments

    1. racer4four racer4four, 8 years ago
      I guess at the time it wasn't considered a real danger. I know here in Sydney there was a bit of harbour foreshore that had once been a radium factory (for clocks) and was later built on. It wasn't until the 80s or so that anyone woke up to just how radioactive the site was.

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