I recently bought a “new never used” Coleman manufactured in 1995. In unwrapping it from shipping, the seller left the (presumably) thorium mantle inside the globe, which arrived as mostly ash but some small pieces still whole. When I opened the package a lot of the mantle (and likely the ash) got released into my kitchen. How dangerous was this event for me? What should my cleanup procedure be? The fabric was completely white so I think it was never burnt if that makes a difference.
Hi Lou, welcome back, just recently there was a lot of discussion on this forum regarding thorium mantles and the dangers. I did not join the discussion at the time but I did give some thought to the subject, my thought reasoning was this, do most of us on a daily basis use various technology marvels that omit radiation? most would probably say yes, mobile phone, television, microwaves, television and mobile phone transmitter towers, high voltage power lines X-rays we all have from time to time, the list goes on. in our modern world we are exposed to more radiation then we probably know. Thorium mantles, I use them a lot, some simple safety rules, don't suck them, [LOL, just joking] but seriously, burn off mantles outside, broken mantles, put a mask on to clean up especially if its breezy, wipe up powder with a damp cloth, hope this helps Lou, regards Frank
Your Thorium mantle world have been lit if it disintegrated. They have very low levels of radiation. Don’t snort the dust into your nostrils; wipe up the dust with a cloth and rinse. All should be fine. Cheers Tony
Welcome to this forum. Lesson one you got: never open parcel in the kitchen. Old fuel will also smell awful. As for the mantle ashes, clean with wet cloth and throw everything away in a plastic bag. Don't inhale, don't vacuum it up, don't blow it away, don't inhale the dust. Wash your hands and clean the lantern too.
Lou, you would probably get a higher dose by eating 3 bananas, so as long as you don’t eat the remaining bits of ash, all is fine. Also going on holiday in Cornwall for a few days would expose you to higher doses, I was told!
If its a 1995 product, it might not even be a thorium mantle that came with it after all. I think they started phasing them out by the late 80s or early 90s and replacing it with yttrium types instead. Unless of course, if the mantle happened to be an old stock Silk Lite or something... Anyway, the radiation level isn't too high to worry about. Just as other's advice, try not to inhale any dust. In reality, I'm not good at keeping things as safe as they should be. Frankly speaking, I do thoriated mantle pre-burns in my bedroom. Only thing is, I breathe very little while doing so. There's plenty of disintegrated mantles all around my other rooms too. If a mantle breaks apart, I'll just sweep away the debris to some inconspicuos corner of the house. I've not turned green or glowing in the dark yet. I'm not suggesting that its safe or anyone should take it that casually. The fact is, these radiative stuff is cummulative in nature. It may be a small harmless dose now but over time, as you get addicted to the hobby, you'll be further supplemented. It might or might not take its toll later on. Just heed the advice as stated by members of the forum, be aware and take sensible precautions.
Vapalux military lanterns were issued with a small type-written note telling squaddies (presumably) not to eat the mantles. I don't think even the S.A.S. would try to pull a stunt like that - you'd have to be very hungry! I don't think it's advisable to carry them around in you trouser pockets / sporran either - after about 500 years or so, you'd possibly get testicular cancer...
I would just give the kichen surfaces a decent wipe down and throw away the cloths afterwards. Most of us probably breathe a lungful of Radon every day, depending on where we live. I bought a cheap geiger counter kit from eBay so I could check which mantles are radioactive. Incidentally, the cream coloured glass Tilley shades are also mildly radioactive. I guess they use Uranium to colour the glass.
