I inherited my grandfather’s WWII compass, and had it sitting around for a long time on a shelf. I recently got a Geiger counter, and find that it’s radioactive. Around 10 microsieverts/hr. Apparently they used radium paint to make them glow in the dark. I can’t just throw it away, but I don’t want it potentially causing a danger to others in the room. Is there some sort of lead lined box I can put it in, or some kind of prevention I can do? Is there anyone experienced with this sort of thing that can offer some advice?
I wouldn’t worry about it - you are largely only going to harmed if you ingest any flakes of radium paint. If the compass is sealed and you use gloves when handling it you should be fine. If you wanted an extra level of security you could buy a perspex display box to put it in so, even if it wasn’t sealed and paint was flaking off it, no-one close to it would come in contact with it.
Have a read of this for more information.
I spent years working with radioactive materials in a lab and, as long as you aren’t careless it’s not a worry - there were much more dangerous things in there that genuinely scared me (like hydrofluoric acid).
