It is becoming increasingly obvious that the radioactive tritium - the technology being used in many exit signs - is potentially hazardous to our environment and we could only say, "Shame on us". But it's not too late to rectify this and in fact, there are better options for exit signs, as well as for emergency lights.
Each tritium exit sign emits a certain isotope in gas form which conveys light and radioactive substance through beta rays. Every sign is provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with its own registration number who keeps track of them, at the same time. The authority which has launched their case concerning tritium a few years ago and are now getting serious. While they could be found in different states and cities across the United States, nonetheless, New Jersey along with the U.S. Department of Defense no longer allow their buildings to be installed with tritium exit signs and more are expected to adopt the similar regulation.
When these tritium exit signs are improperly disposed of; it can even result to further damage. A lot of retail companies are beginning to understand the legal implications involved if they totally disregarded this matter. Even the handling of these signage is already a very delicate task and its disposal is supposed to be performed only by licensed hazardous materials handlers. Many business owners have been penalized for disposing their old or broken tritium signs into the trash cans, confident that the FBI and the NRC will not find out about their carelessness.
Because of the volatility of tritium and the risks involved in handling the substance, many manufacturers were closed down during a lengthy clearing out period. The truth is, there are no more exit sign manufacturer that uses tritium in the U.S because of very critical environmental considerations. There is one left in North America but it is located in Canada and they had been ordered to shut down many times on account of environmental violations.
While the reasons to get rid of tritium exit signs are very clear, we really don't know what to use instead. Incandescent lighting likewise bring a number of difficulties which includes the need to replace bulbs, fixture and wiring every now and then. They consume so much electricity since they have to be on for twenty four hours everyday and need to be supported by either battery or generator sets to guarantee they will actually function in case of an emergency.
As of now, the best alternative is the use of photoluminescent exit signage. These signs don't need to run on energy, are totally recyclable, can last up to 25 years, and require absolutely no maintenance. They gather and store light from the surrounding environment to use in case of an emergency, and can be seen as far as 100 feet away in darkness or foggy conditions. They are described to be "bomb-survivors", in case you are looking for such feature in your exit signs. They are reasonably priced, of several frameworks, and will be able to dramatically trim down the carbon footprint of your edifice, to nearly half a million pounds of CO2 over the years of the item.
Each tritium exit sign emits a certain isotope in gas form which conveys light and radioactive substance through beta rays. Every sign is provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with its own registration number who keeps track of them, at the same time. The authority which has launched their case concerning tritium a few years ago and are now getting serious. While they could be found in different states and cities across the United States, nonetheless, New Jersey along with the U.S. Department of Defense no longer allow their buildings to be installed with tritium exit signs and more are expected to adopt the similar regulation.
When these tritium exit signs are improperly disposed of; it can even result to further damage. A lot of retail companies are beginning to understand the legal implications involved if they totally disregarded this matter. Even the handling of these signage is already a very delicate task and its disposal is supposed to be performed only by licensed hazardous materials handlers. Many business owners have been penalized for disposing their old or broken tritium signs into the trash cans, confident that the FBI and the NRC will not find out about their carelessness.
Because of the volatility of tritium and the risks involved in handling the substance, many manufacturers were closed down during a lengthy clearing out period. The truth is, there are no more exit sign manufacturer that uses tritium in the U.S because of very critical environmental considerations. There is one left in North America but it is located in Canada and they had been ordered to shut down many times on account of environmental violations.
While the reasons to get rid of tritium exit signs are very clear, we really don't know what to use instead. Incandescent lighting likewise bring a number of difficulties which includes the need to replace bulbs, fixture and wiring every now and then. They consume so much electricity since they have to be on for twenty four hours everyday and need to be supported by either battery or generator sets to guarantee they will actually function in case of an emergency.
As of now, the best alternative is the use of photoluminescent exit signage. These signs don't need to run on energy, are totally recyclable, can last up to 25 years, and require absolutely no maintenance. They gather and store light from the surrounding environment to use in case of an emergency, and can be seen as far as 100 feet away in darkness or foggy conditions. They are described to be "bomb-survivors", in case you are looking for such feature in your exit signs. They are reasonably priced, of several frameworks, and will be able to dramatically trim down the carbon footprint of your edifice, to nearly half a million pounds of CO2 over the years of the item.
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