Is my used Geiger counter radioactive?

[jrmichler]

If you truly value the health and lives of your children, think about the fact that the average life span in 47 countries is longer than in the U.S. The main difference between the U.S. and those countries is that those people have healthier diets and they get more exercise. This chart is from Pocket World in Figures, 2018 Edition, by The Economist magazine.

 

[mfb]

For comparison: the allowed value at the fence of a German nuclear power plant is according to Greenpeace $0.3 mS$. Hence your device measures the $0.002$-th part of it. The x-rays at your dentist are likely more damaging than that.

0.3 mSv per year (over the natural background radiation). A year has 10,000 hours, so that's 0.03 uSv/hour extra.
Anyone receiving 0.3 mSv per hour would be an emergency that makes international news.

 

[justamom]

0.3 mSv per year (over the natural background radiation). A year has 10,000 hours, so that's 0.03 uSv/hour extra.
Anyone receiving 0.3 mSv per hour would be an emergency that makes international news.

Isn’t 0.03uSv/hour even less than what was recording at my house, which was 0.27uSv per hour at the highest??

 

[mfb]

over the natural background radiation

Nuclear power plants are not allowed to increase the radiation level by more than that. The natural radiation level can be whatever it wants (and it's over 1 uSv/hour in some places).
And that's the upper limit. In practice the increase is far smaller.

 

[justamom]

It is very unlikely that your Geiger counter purchase spread any contamination. Also if it was leaving (i e spreading) contamination it would have measured it. Your reading were fine! That being said worry about the big dangers for your kids:
Car seats and belts
second hand smoke
Firearms in the home
Good food
Near Earth asteroids
The electric grid
Fascists of all kinds
Seriously you need to prioritize as rationally as you can. Then do what you can. We all have our irrational fears

What would the reading be if the Geiger counter was contaminated with radioactive materials?

 

[artis]

@justamom you should really stop being concerned, I can understand the fear it is natural for humans to fear the unknown but in all honesty this fear is baseless.
see the link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarapari

There are beaches and other geographical spots on Earth that have a natural average dose twice or three times as high as the one you measured. Some older houses that are built from rocks that contain naturally radioactive elements also have elevated levels.
There are two ways a geiger counter or anything else can become radioactive , either it has dust or particles from a radioactive source on it physically or it has been exposed to neutron radiation which is a specific sort of radiation normally only found in working nuclear reactor cores and other nuclear reactions. We can definitely rule out the second, as for the first the chances the detector has been contaminated with radioactive dust are low.
Now if this makes you feel safer although not really needed but you can put some rubber gloves on take some electronics cleaning alcohol and clean the detector with it somewhere outside. then put the detector to dry, wash your gloves with normal water and soap and your done. If you feel like you can open the case and the reassemble it you can try to do that and clean the inside too with the same alcohol.
Although as I said , this is a rather pointless exercise and most likely the detector is simply reading off by a little and you have just a boring regular normal background level as most of us do.It is hard to tell what would the reading be if it was contaminated because that would depend on what substance and how much.
But really you should stop worrying. The stress from that is causing more harm than the actual radiation even if there was some.
I have worked around liquid mercury and I still have some in a bottle. The same thing could be said here. There are many things that are contaminated with some levels of mercury in our world. As long as the levels are not high enough we are fine.

 

[artis]

@fresh_42 Well not just to radon you are then also more exposed to Po 210 and Pb210 both of which are in tobacco along countless other nasty stuff.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14557035/
By the way Po210 also the poison the KGB/FSB used to assassinate their former agent turned "traitor" Litvinenko.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko

I am not judging you by no means I used to smoke too, before I kind of came to realize it's rather useless , especially with the crap tobacco they use in cigarettes nowadays. Also I have had problems when for example having a morning coffee and then smoking a cigarette ,since I have vegetative dystonia , the few times i tried to mix these things my heart went into arrhythmia one time almost to the point I felt like having convulsions and thought I was about to die. Caffeine and nicotine mixed can be a real killer for some no need for heroin.
After that I put a stop to any such activities.
Kinda of ironical people afraid of radiation meanwhile there are atleast 10 substances we use as humans daily that can kill easily if done the wrong way, starting from alcohol to caffeine and tobacco etc.

 

[Vanadium 50]

@justamom , nobody here can tell you the history of the device. Doubly so because we cannot even take a look at this. If you told us "I have a spoon, where has it been?" we couldn't answer it either.

What we can say is that the meter's reading does not indicate any danger. It shows the normal, natural level of radiation in the environment, and if anything, is on the low side of average. In this regard, it's better than a spoon - it still can't tell us its history, but it can say that right now there is no elevated risk.

The caveat is that this device is a toy. It is not intended for any serious health physics use. It isn't calibrated and isn't calibratable. It's probably not too far off, but I wouldn't expect two different devices to give the exact same readings anyway.

Finally, the most important source of radiation is radon, and this device doesn't measure it.

 

[gleem]

Well, it's pretty much a toy

Actually, this can be considered a serious instrument capable of providing the information for which it is capable. What it is not capable of is determining your biological dose which the Sievert is supposed to represent. This device detects ionizing events due to radiation that can penetrate the detector's wall. From there on the significance of the reading must be interpreted based on the type of radiation and concentration of the radioactive material assumed. Typically the GM counter is used to indicate or find problems in areas where the radiation material environment is known. Just walking into some arbitrary and especially high radiation environment with a GM counter can be very dangerous. "Caveat Usor"

 

[Vanadium 50]

I disagree. This device is intended for "Hey look! Fiestaware is slightly radioactive!" If I wanted to "indicate or find problems in areas where the radiation material environment is known" I would want something intended for that: an honest-to-goodness survey meter. These cost 20-30x what this one costs.

 

[gleem]

All GM counter do the same thing the only difference is the quality of the materials from which they are constructed and perhaps some characteristics like stability and robustness. The most expensive GM counter will tell you no more.

 

[justamom]

@justamom you should really stop being concerned, I can understand the fear it is natural for humans to fear the unknown but in all honesty this fear is baseless.
see the link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarapari

There are beaches and other geographical spots on Earth that have a natural average dose twice or three times as high as the one you measured. Some older houses that are built from rocks that contain naturally radioactive elements also have elevated levels.
There are two ways a geiger counter or anything else can become radioactive , either it has dust or particles from a radioactive source on it physically or it has been exposed to neutron radiation which is a specific sort of radiation normally only found in working nuclear reactor cores and other nuclear reactions. We can definitely rule out the second, as for the first the chances the detector has been contaminated with radioactive dust are low.
Now if this makes you feel safer although not really needed but you can put some rubber gloves on take some electronics cleaning alcohol and clean the detector with it somewhere outside. then put the detector to dry, wash your gloves with normal water and soap and your done. If you feel like you can open the case and the reassemble it you can try to do that and clean the inside too with the same alcohol.
Although as I said , this is a rather pointless exercise and most likely the detector is simply reading off by a little and you have just a boring regular normal background level as most of us do.It is hard to tell what would the reading be if it was contaminated because that would depend on what substance and how much.
But really you should stop worrying. The stress from that is causing more harm than the actual radiation even if there was some.
I have worked around liquid mercury and I still have some in a bottle. The same thing could be said here. There are many things that are contaminated with some levels of mercury in our world. As long as the levels are not high enough we are fine.

How do you know it wasn’t exposed to neutron radiation?

What if someone took it on a tour to Chernobyl or Fukushima or some nuclear power plant?

Also if there is radioactive dust on it, then the readings would’ve been how much hypothetically?

 

[Keith_McClary]

There are many things that are contaminated with some levels of mercury in our world.

Someone in another forum had broken a compact fluorescent bulb in a child's room and were so concerned about the mercury that they moved the kid out and taped the door shut.

 

[Drakkith]

What would the reading be if the Geiger counter was contaminated with radioactive materials?

More than what the counter was reading. Seriously, you're worried over nothing.
There's no indication that your counter is contaminated.

 

[Drakkith]

How do you know it wasn’t exposed to neutron radiation?

What if someone took it on a tour to Chernobyl or Fukushima or some nuclear power plant?

Also if there is radioactive dust on it, then the readings would’ve been how much hypothetically?

Listen to me. There is no reason to believe your counter is contaminated. The sell and transport of radioactive/contaminated materials is a SERIOUS crime and no one in their right mind would do so. Even over ebay or through other online retailers.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What if someone took it on a tour to Chernobyl or Fukushima or some nuclear power plant?

We have no evidence of that, but we know it's not very radioactive. It tells us this when it's turned on.

How do we know that your spoons weren't on a tour of Chernobyl or Fukushima or some nuclear power plant?

 

[artis]

Just to be clear Chernobyl as well as Fukushima are not working power plants , they have been closed for a rather long time now. Particle contamination tends to settle over time into soil and elsewhere , winds carry it away etc. So unless you go to Chernobyl then find a "hotspot" and then dig it together with all the dirt and put it into a jar , otherwise no need to worry.

@justamom don't be afraid.
What I find more interesting is in your first post you said

Summary:: Worried about radioactive contamination from a possibly used Geiger counter

I’m a mom and was worried about radiation in the new house we moved into

Now what made you think that there could be radiation (beyond safe levels since background is everywhere) in that new house? Was it some random thought or was there legitimate concern/information ?PS. Although I am in no position to teach you what to do with your money or life, I would advise now that you have already spent the money and have the device , don't be afraid of it, instead keep it and don't throw it away, if you have kids (especially a son) and you happen to travel somewhere , like in those old mines or on other tourist locations, you can take that dosimeter with you and teach your kids something about physics. Like for example how certain rocks have higher concentrations of naturally radioactive elements.
Just a thought.

 

[justamom]

Just to be clear Chernobyl as well as Fukushima are not working power plants , they have been closed for a rather long time now. Particle contamination tends to settle over time into soil and elsewhere , winds carry it away etc. So unless you go to Chernobyl then find a "hotspot" and then dig it together with all the dirt and put it into a jar , otherwise no need to worry.

@justamom don't be afraid.
What I find more interesting is in your first post you saidNow what made you think that there could be radiation (beyond safe levels since background is everywhere) in that new house? Was it some random thought or was there legitimate concern/information ?PS. Although I am in no position to teach you what to do with your money or life, I would advise now that you have already spent the money and have the device , don't be afraid of it, instead keep it and don't throw it away, if you have kids (especially a son) and you happen to travel somewhere , like in those old mines or on other tourist locations, you can take that dosimeter with you and teach your kids something about physics. Like for example how certain rocks have higher concentrations of naturally radioactive elements.
Just a thought.

They poured mortar all over the original floor to raise the subfloor and to plug up all the expansion gaps in the original floor, then they covered it with a vinyl floor that has a limestone composite, and there’s also granite countertops. Mortar, limestone and granite all emit radiation so I wanted to check them. Also has pink tiles in the bathroom that I wanted to make sure weren’t radioactive

 

[justamom]

We have no evidence of that, but we know it's not very radioactive. It tells us this when it's turned on.

How do we know that your spoons weren't on a tour of Chernobyl or Fukushima or some nuclear power plant?

The spoons I use are all brand new, I always buy new spoons.

 

[justamom]

Listen to me. There is no reason to believe your counter is contaminated. The sell and transport of radioactive/contaminated materials is a SERIOUS crime and no one in their right mind would do so. Even over ebay or through other online retailers.

I only worry because Amazon sometimes will get returned products and repackage and sell them off as new. This has happened many times with other things like clothing, hats, toys I bought... sometimes they’ve been opened before but Amazon still sells them to me.

If u look up the reviews online for the GQ GMC500 plus or look on YouTube, u can see people using it on a tour in chernobyl, they put it right on the ground in the dirt, or they put it on top of uranium ore or cesium 137 or other radioactive things etc.

 

[fresh_42]

I only worry because Amazon sometimes will get returned products and repackage and sell them off as new.

I have heard the story the other way around: they throw away brand new returns because repackage and restore them would be too expensive.

 

[justamom]

I have heard the story the other way around: they throw away brand new returns because repackage and restore them would be too expensive.

Also yesterday my 2 year old found a big rock in the backyard, she was holding it and I took it from her to see it had green on it too, does this mean it is radioactive and has uranium in it? Do I need to throw away the clothes she wore when she was playing with it? Can the uranium from the rock contaminate her hands her clothes etc?

 

[fresh_42]

Also yesterday my 2 year old found a big rock in the backyard, she was holding it and I took it from her to see it had green on it too, does this mean it is radioactive and has uranium in it? Do I need to throw away the clothes she wore when she was playing with it? Can the uranium from the rock contaminate her hands her clothes etc?

The green on the rock is most likely of biological origin, algae or moss. If you are lucky, then it is olivine. Neither of them is radioactive. The chances that there is uranium in or on the rock are basically zero.

 

[justamom]

The green on the rock is most likely of biological origin, algae or moss. If you are lucky, then it is olivine. Neither of them is radioactive. The chances that there is uranium in or on the rock are basically zero.

it didn’t look like algae or moss,I hope it was just olivine...

btw but how do u know so much about radiation? What kind of background or profession do u have?

 

[fresh_42]

What kind of background or profession do u have?

None which is related to it. But nuclear energy and its dangers are other than in France or the US a topic here since the 80's - even before Chernobyl. The next plant is just a few miles away, and in case of a nuclear war, I would be hit as one of the first (10 miles away from a #1 target).

It is not necessary to have specific knowledge to assess your situation. School physics, and endless discussions about the danger of nuclear energy are sufficient. It is probably far more dangerous (in terms of radiation) to fly from New York to Hawaii than it is to be in your home.

If you had said that there is a nuclear power plant or other nuclear facility in your neighborhood, then I would have spoken otherwise. Those who support the use of nuclear energy say it's harmless, but truth is that e.g. leukemia casualties around the British Sellafield have been significantly higher than elsewhere (in the 80's, not sure about the current situation). Those nuclear industry complexes might be a danger, and I am personally not really happy, that so many of them are old and placed along the American pacific coast, a seismic hot spot, but this is not the subject here. As mentioned by others, smoke from tobacco is far more radioactive than what usually can be found in a household. If it was so easy to find radioactive material anywhere, then some bad guys would already had used it.

 

[justamom]

None which is related to it. But nuclear energy and its dangers are other than in France or the US a topic here since the 80's - even before Chernobyl. The next plant is just a few miles away, and in case of a nuclear war, I would be hit as one of the first (10 miles away from a #1 target).

It is not necessary to have specific knowledge to assess your situation. School physics, and endless discussions about the danger of nuclear energy are sufficient. It is probably far more dangerous (in terms of radiation) to fly from New York to Hawaii than it is to be in your home.

If you had said that there is a nuclear power plant or other nuclear facility in your neighborhood, then I would have spoken otherwise. Those who support the use of nuclear energy say it's harmless, but truth is that e.g. leukemia casualties around the British Sellafield have been significantly higher than elsewhere (in the 80's, not sure about the current situation). Those nuclear industry complexes might be a danger, and I am personally not really happy, that so many of them are old and placed along the American pacific coast, a seismic hot spot, but this is not the subject here. As mentioned by others, smoke from tobacco is far more radioactive than what usually can be found in a household. If it was so easy to find radioactive material anywhere, then some bad guys would already had used it.

Actually we live 30 miles from a nuclear power plant as well as a few miles from former marines base

 

[mfb]

but truth is that e.g. leukemia casualties around the British Sellafield have been significantly higher than elsewhere

Leukemia cases around planned but never constructed nuclear power plants are higher as well.
Cherry-picking and mixing correlation with causality isn't evidence of anything.
If you account for the demographics the effect disappears.
https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110506/full/news.2011.275.html

@justamom: There are just a few hundred people who have access to the dangerous parts of Chernobyl and Fukushima, and they don't use $100 Geiger counters from Amazon. And if they would then your Geiger counter would detect it.
There is really nothing to worry about.

I work with particle accelerators and have worked with irradiated materials.

 

[justamom]

Leukemia cases around planned but never constructed nuclear power plants are higher as well.
Cherry-picking and mixing correlation with causality isn't evidence of anything.
If you account for the demographics the effect disappears.
https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110506/full/news.2011.275.html

@justamom: There are just a few hundred people who have access to the dangerous parts of Chernobyl and Fukushima, and they don't use $100 Geiger counters from Amazon. And if they would then your Geiger counter would detect it.
There is really nothing to worry about.

I work with particle accelerators and have worked with irradiated materials.

Thank you, but what if someone put it directly on top of cesium 137? I saw some guy on YouTube who bought the same Geiger counter as me and he placed it directly on top of a piece of cesium 137

 

[Vanadium 50]

Oh, for heavens sake. You got your answer, several times. It's clear you don't want to believe it (I don't understand why), so don't. Throw the doggone thing out and be done with it then.

 

[justamom]

Oh, for heavens sake. You got your answer, several times. It's clear you don't want to believe it (I don't understand why), so don't. Throw the doggone thing out and be done with it then.

I have really bad contamination OCD, it’s so hard for me to be logical because my brain keeps telling me I harmed my kids and baby somehow by contaminating them...