What Are GTLDs ?
Tritium is one of the "clean" sources of energy. It is a "green" gas, a weak radiator around us all the time in the air. It is a product of the Sun (a natural atomic reactor) as well as sources such as for example the water coolant in Heavy Water (atomic) Reactors. So it is nothing new. Chemically, tritium is hydrogen.
There is no measurable radiation on the external surfaces of a self-powered, illuminated, Gloweasy sign (we have tested it). The relevant British Standard for the manufacture of all exit, emergency, warning and advisory signs [BS 5499 : Part 2] states that if the provisions of that Standard are observed then the product is safe.
How does a sign work?
Self-luminous signs use the electrons from tritium (also called hydrogen3 gas or H3) to provide illumination without the need for a source of electrical power. The process is very similar to that in your television set picture tube whereby an electron is used to illuminate the front screen of the tube. The electrons from tritium however have only about one quarter of the energy of the electron in a colour TV picture tube. That is why self-luminous signs are not visible in daylight while TV pictures are. Actually, the tritium electron from the tritium has such a low energy that it cannot even penetrate an ordinary sheet of paper. Because of this very low energy level, tritium is one of the safest and most benign of all radioactive materials and is therefore approved by the relevant authorities for use in self-luminous signs in commercial buildings as well as all commercial aircraft.
To produce the illumination, the tritium gas is contained within a hermetically sealed glass tube. The inside surfaces of the tube are coated with a phosphor just like the inside surface of a television picture tube. Electrons emitted by the tritium bombard the phosphor, causing it to produce illumination.
Are self-luminous signs radioactive?
Although tritium is a radioactive isotope, our products emit no radiation. The gas is hermetically sealed into tough glass tubes. The beta emissions from the tritium gas are completely contained within the tubes. There is absolutely no risk of radiation exposure from normal use of our product. Great care is taken in the construction of our signs to insure that they will stand up to extremely tough handling. If you imagine the dangers faced with electricity it’s a lot, lot higher.
What happens if the sign breaks?
Keep in mind that, for breakage to occur, the outer frame and inner protective plastic housing would also have to be destroyed and then the glass vial. In this scenario, the released tritium gas would rise and dilute rapidly in the air. If however a person were somehow trapped in a 3m x 3m x 3m room with a sign in which all of the tubes had broken, deliberately, that person's radiation exposure would be similar to that received from a normal dental X-ray. These signs would not be licensed for use if there were any chance that they posed a health risk to the public in a normal accident event. In fact, self-luminous signs have been used extensively throughout the world for more than 25 years without an incident.
What If I want to return a sign after 20 plus years?
You may wish to retain your sign after it has stopped glowing (up to 20 years) as it will still identify the property, it just does not glow.
However, Gloweasy recommend that the sign be returned to the us at the termination of its life, for safe disposal/recycling of the GTLD's.
It is unlawful to abandon or dispose of self-luminous signs except by transfer to companies specifically licensed by the Environment Agency. They cannot be thrown away with the normal household rubbish. We will accept the return of any self-illuminated sign if that applies. So send it to us.
