Smoke alarms contain radioactive sources o_o

[Technologic]

I opened up the smoke detectorto take the battery out cus it was beeping.

ANyways, there is a little silver box that says

"RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL 0.9 MICROCURIES AMERICUM 241"




I did some googling and its an alpha source so it cant penetrate the skin but if you somehow swallowed it you're ****** lol

[PaintYourTarget]

Yeah, it probably reacts with certain molecules in the smoke to set the alarm off.
Alpha radiation is pretty much harmless anyway, well, from what I remember of GCSE Physics anyway.

[Mentor]

Thats how smoke alarms work after all, much like how they test the thickness of paper in plants manufacturing it. I cant remember the exact specifics but its generally along the lines of theres something a few milimiters away from it that detects the amount of radiation being let off, if the room fills with smoke that will absorb some of the radiation, causing the sensor to not detect enough and hence set the alarm off "/
To humans its pretty much harmless, though i wouldn't eat it.

[dannyisnotamazing]

Yeah I got told in science lesson 1/2 year back

[Blue]

basically, the smoke is enough to stop the radiation getting to one side of the alarm to another, and that loss of radiation sets the alarm off

so smoke detectors don't really detect smoke at all...

[Prick]

Hey guys I'm like on my laptop in hospital at the moment.. thanks to the person who said about eating radioactive material. :@ Idiot :eusa_wall

Any cya'll I've gotta go to theatre something about I'm gonna die if I don't have this operation :/

Chow

[Tomm]

Even if you ate it nothing would happen. It is in ultra small ammounts (1 gram of it is enough for 5000 smoke detectors) and its not soluble so you couldent digest it anyway.

[cocaine]

yeah this was on my exam on thursday

"why do smoke alarms contain alpha particles" or something like that

its because the alpha particles in the smoke alarm only travel a few cm in the air so you're fine

[Corporal]

plus every eletrical product gives off radiation

[Firehorse]

alpha particles sounds like something Dr Who would say..