[time-nuts] How dangerous if Rb lamp broken?

[Volker Esper]

Hi,

Toxicity is not the problem. Radioactivity was my biggest concern, when 
I ordered my first Rb-clock.The manufacturer told me, there's no 
radioactivity, that you have to fear. When the package came I used a 
Geiger tube to calm myself down - there was no measurable activity at all.

If the clock doesn't work anymore, be careful when opening it, the bulb 
could be broken (though impropable). I don't know how the Rubidium will 
react in such a case, but it can react with the air and start to burn 
(but remember, it's a very small amount) and you could get some mg of a 
strong base, which is corrosive/caustic.

To come to the point: You won't be able to "wreak havoc" with a Rb-lamp...

Volker


Am 09.07.2013 11:40, schrieb Attila Kinali:
> On Tue, 09 Jul 2013 11:24:27 +0200
> Magnus Danielson<magnus at rubidium.dyndns.org>  wrote:
>
>    
>> On 07/09/2013 06:07 AM, Hui Zhang wrote:
>>      
>>> Dear Group:
>>>       I have four compact Rb Stanard, but I am worried about what if my Rb lamp broken in accident someday? How dangerous of this situration? Is Rb87 came out from Rb lamp will be a disaster? You know I haven't any beta rays detect instrument.
>>>        
>> Considering that you have 48,8 milliard years in half-time, you are
>> pretty safe. The problem is rather that it reacts to water and becomes a
>> strong base, so you want to keep it dry and well protected. Keeping it
>> in a clock chassi is good enough.
>>      
> IIRC Rb is hygroscopic, ie keeping dry wont help, it will react with
> the air humidity as well. But then, you have only a couple mg of Rb
> in the cell. And the whole thing is enclosed. So you wont get much
> exposure anyways. As for toxidity, AFAIK Rb by itself is not toxic.
> Rb solution is, as Magnus said, a strong base, but you will get very little
> of it and and i am not aware of any toxidity beside being a stron base.
> So don't let it get into your eyes and you will be fine :-)
>
> For comparison: Natrium hydroxide is sold in tablet form as un-clogging agent.
> It is, for it being a strong base, rated with a high toxidity/danger class,
> (about the same as hydrochloric acid) but is not toxic in it self.
> Handling it is safe, unless you throw a lot of it into water.
> In dry form, the most danger it poses is making soap out of the fat
> in your skin :-)
>
> 			Attila Kinali
>
>