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Old 11 January 2020, 09:29 AM   #1
watchknut
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Holy Moly this 6542 is Hot!

Finally got around to testing the 6542...



Pretty hot.

Anyone else have similar readings?
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Old 11 January 2020, 09:37 AM   #2
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That level of radiation is actually harmful if you’re wearing it 8 hours a day.
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Old 11 January 2020, 09:50 AM   #3
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Yeah.. They are hot.

Every geiger is different though.

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Old 11 January 2020, 09:51 AM   #4
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Yeah.. They are hot.

Every geiger is different though.

A buddy shared his and it was 172! I really wonder on the readings...seems crazy for them to be all over the board.

Thanks for sharing.
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Old 11 January 2020, 01:35 PM   #5
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Holy Moly this 6542 is Hot!

As a Navy Nuke, I had not heard of Sv, but I know rem, so I looked it up and 1 rem = 100 Sv

Doing the math:

119uSv/hr = 1.19urem/hr

An average person in the US receives around 1rem/3yrs or 333mrem/yr

There are approximately 8766 hrs/yr

1.19urem/hr x 8766hr/yr = 10,432urem/yr, which is only 10.4mrem/yr or 3.1% of the average American’s average radiation exposure per year.

Bottom line - radiation from these watches are almost background noise and nothing to be concerned with.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which sets the safety limits for radiation workers, allows up to 5 REM per year (10 CFR Part 20). That’s 15 times higher than the average American.

Those government limits are for whole body radiation, which the watch does not give, but even if it were to be whole body equivalent, 119uSv/hr worn 24/7/365 (never removed) would only deliver 0.2% of the federally mandated radiation exposure limit.

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Old 11 January 2020, 02:18 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by watchknut View Post
A buddy shared his and it was 172! I really wonder on the readings...seems crazy for them to be all over the board.



Thanks for sharing.

If you live at sea level and your buddy lives in Denver, that could account for reading disparities.


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Old 11 January 2020, 02:36 PM   #7
watchknut
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SS Oyster View Post
As a Navy Nuke, I had not heard of Sv, but I know rem, so I looked it up and 1 rem = 100 Sv

Doing the math:

119uSv/hr = 1.19urem/hr

An average person in the US receives around 1rem/3yrs or 333mrem/yr

There are approximately 8766 hrs/yr

1.19urem/hr x 8766hr/yr = 10,432urem/yr, which is only 10.4mrem/yr or 3.1% of the average American’s average radiation exposure per year.

Bottom line - radiation from these watches are almost background noise and nothing to be concerned with.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which sets the safety limits for radiation workers, allows up to 5 REM per year (10 CFR Part 20). That’s 15 times higher than the average American.

Those government limits are for whole body radiation, which the watch does not give, but even if it were to be whole body equivalent, 119uSv/hr worn 24/7/365 (never removed) would only deliver 0.2% of the federally mandated radiation exposure limit.

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Thank you for mathematical explanation...I am not gifted in that area, so your insight is greatly appreciated.

I feel much better now...I was honestly a bit concerned as I was unsure what to think.
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Old 11 January 2020, 03:29 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SS Oyster View Post
As a Navy Nuke, I had not heard of Sv, but I know rem, so I looked it up and 1 rem = 100 Sv

Doing the math:

119uSv/hr = 1.19urem/hr

An average person in the US receives around 1rem/3yrs or 333mrem/yr

There are approximately 8766 hrs/yr

1.19urem/hr x 8766hr/yr = 10,432urem/yr, which is only 10.4mrem/yr or 3.1% of the average American’s average radiation exposure per year.

Bottom line - radiation from these watches are almost background noise and nothing to be concerned with.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which sets the safety limits for radiation workers, allows up to 5 REM per year (10 CFR Part 20). That’s 15 times higher than the average American.

Those government limits are for whole body radiation, which the watch does not give, but even if it were to be whole body equivalent, 119uSv/hr worn 24/7/365 (never removed) would only deliver 0.2% of the federally mandated radiation exposure limit.

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No. 1 rem is 0.01 Sv. Thus 119 uSv/hr is 0.0119 rem/hr. Thus in 8776 hours you’re getting 104 rem, although realistically it would probably be 1/3 that if you wear it 8 hours a day 365 days a week. So let's say 33 rem. That would be 100x the average person and 6x the NRC safety limit.

However, I would argue that since the watch is concentrated on the arm, that would be more dangerous than whole body. Your arm is being bombarded with the radiation. I’m not saying watchknut will have a tumor tomorrow (especially since his is only 42 uSv/hr) but I would be very wary of wearing the watch frequently. You’re basically getting 100x the dose an average person gets, while also being concentrated on the arm. There’s a reason why the bakelites got recalled....

Further information, from wikipedia, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...chart-XKCD.svg

As you can see maximum dose for radiation workers is 50 mSv. If you wear your watch @ 119 uSv/hr you would reach that dose in 420 hours. In 8 hour blocks thats approximately 52 days.

Watchknut I follow you on instagram and know that you have a varied rotation so I think you'll be okay.
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Old 11 January 2020, 05:57 PM   #9
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Unfortunately, Frank's calculations are correct, and I don't think you can write off the exposure as negligible. I am not someone who over-reacts to things like this, but it may be worth limiting the wrist time of that watch (e.g. a few times a month), especially if you have any known risk factors or family history.
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Old 11 January 2020, 07:17 PM   #10
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Wow, these watches are dangerous... better just send them all to me!
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Old 11 January 2020, 07:55 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Juhuatai View Post
No. 1 rem is 0.01 Sv. Thus 119 uSv/hr is 0.0119 rem/hr. Thus in 8776 hours you’re getting 104 rem, although realistically it would probably be 1/3 that if you wear it 8 hours a day 365 days a week. So let's say 33 rem. That would be 100x the average person and 6x the NRC safety limit.

However, I would argue that since the watch is concentrated on the arm, that would be more dangerous than whole body. Your arm is being bombarded with the radiation. I’m not saying watchknut will have a tumor tomorrow (especially since his is only 42 uSv/hr) but I would be very wary of wearing the watch frequently. You’re basically getting 100x the dose an average person gets, while also being concentrated on the arm. There’s a reason why the bakelites got recalled....

Further information, from wikipedia, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...chart-XKCD.svg

As you can see maximum dose for radiation workers is 50 mSv. If you wear your watch @ 119 uSv/hr you would reach that dose in 420 hours. In 8 hour blocks thats approximately 52 days.

Watchknut I follow you on instagram and know that you have a varied rotation so I think you'll be okay.
Thanks for doing the math Frank.

Always wondered about this.
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Old 11 January 2020, 10:53 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Juhuatai View Post
No. 1 rem is 0.01 Sv. Thus 119 uSv/hr is 0.0119 rem/hr. Thus in 8776 hours you’re getting 104 rem, although realistically it would probably be 1/3 that if you wear it 8 hours a day 365 days a week. So let's say 33 rem. That would be 100x the average person and 6x the NRC safety limit.

However, I would argue that since the watch is concentrated on the arm, that would be more dangerous than whole body. Your arm is being bombarded with the radiation. I’m not saying watchknut will have a tumor tomorrow (especially since his is only 42 uSv/hr) but I would be very wary of wearing the watch frequently. You’re basically getting 100x the dose an average person gets, while also being concentrated on the arm. There’s a reason why the bakelites got recalled....

Further information, from wikipedia, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...chart-XKCD.svg

As you can see maximum dose for radiation workers is 50 mSv. If you wear your watch @ 119 uSv/hr you would reach that dose in 420 hours. In 8 hour blocks thats approximately 52 days.

Watchknut I follow you on instagram and know that you have a varied rotation so I think you'll be okay.
Thanks!

And yes, it get very little wrist time, and when I wear to work, it spends most of the time on the desk.
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Old 11 January 2020, 11:26 PM   #13
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Astounding, remarkable and just a little scary..............

I think I will opt for collecting a 1675 with pointed crown guards
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Old 12 January 2020, 01:01 AM   #14
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Shouldn’t it be measured from the case back to get a better sense of what is being absorbed by the body?
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Old 12 January 2020, 02:42 AM   #15
roh123
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When dicussing how dangerous radiation is you need to take into account if it is alfa, beta or gamma radiation. Watches are relatively safe as long as the radium stays in the case. Most dangerous on a 6542 is the bezel as it is just capseled by plastic which easily cracks and you risk inhaling the dangerous stuff. Just wearing a hot watch should be fairly safe even if I personally wouldn’t wear these kind of watches reguarly. Just feels wrong.
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Old 16 January 2020, 06:57 AM   #16
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Yeah.. They are hot.

Every geiger is different though.

The measurement is wrong in this picture, this is why. Since the Mullard-tube sits under the Geiger and not on the tip you need to hold it over the watch to measure the radiation correctly.
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Old 16 January 2020, 07:14 AM   #17
roh123
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The measurement is wrong in this picture, this is why. Since the Mullard-tube sits under the Geiger and not on the tip you need to hold it over the watch to measure the radiation correctly.
Well.. The pic was taken to show the watch and reading.
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Old 19 January 2020, 11:34 PM   #18
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Like a doc told me. We are all terminal. I bet there is something else than a watch that will kill us all. Keep and enjoy! Rich


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Old 20 January 2020, 08:07 AM   #19
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A buddy shared his and it was 172! I really wonder on the readings...seems crazy for them to be all over the board.

Thanks for sharing.
Your buddy should throw his into an incinerator!
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Old 22 January 2020, 02:28 AM   #20
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Nice one
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