Why do smoke detectors have radiation

The other uses the radiation from a small amount of radioactive material to sense smoke. These types of detectors, also referred to as ionization chamber smoke detectors, are the most commonly used because of their sensitivity and ability to identify a wider range of fire conditions. Ionizing smoke detectors are used in Canada because they are best at detecting quick burning fires, such as many of the fires which occur in North American buildings, which contain significant amounts of wood.

Most household detectors contain a very small amount of americium, a radioactive isotope. The slight amount of radiation that can be measured outside the unit does not pose any health risk. Alpha particles are very heavy and cannot travel very far.

They can be shielded by a layer as thin as a layer of dead skin cells. Ionization smoke detectors have a small americium source encased in a layer of foil and ceramic, which stops the alpha particles from traveling outside of the smoke detector.

Because of this shielding, the smoke detector poses no radiation health risk when they are properly handled. There is no health threat from ionization smoke detectors as long as the detector is not damaged and used as directed.

Do not tamper with your smoke detectors, as it could damage the shielding around the radioactive source inside of them. There are no special disposal instructions for ionization smoke detectors.

They may be thrown away with household garbage, or your community may have a separate recycling program. Each state has a program to protect people from radiation exposure. They control the use and disposal of radioactive material in consumer products. Skip to Main Content. Home Product Support.

Expand search. Search Search. Fields Title. URL Name. Article Text. Americium Just enough power to work, but not to harm you Americium is harmless outside the body because the radiation it emits is too weak to penetrate human skin.

We live in a radioactive world, and radiation has always been all around us as a part of our natural environment. The unit used in measuring our radiation dose is the millirem mrem. The annual average dose per person from all natural and man-made sources is about mrems, but it is not uncommon for any of us to receive more than that in a given year largely due to medical procedures. Consequently, to protect health and safety, the U. Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC has established standards that allow exposures of up to 5, mrem per year for those who work with and around radioactive material.

Number of Views First Alert Home. First Alert Store. Working to raise CO awareness in South Asian communities. How can we help you today? Need support? Get In Touch. How do ionisation alarms work?

The problems with ionisation technology Whilst perfectly safe to residents, ionisation fire alarms are banned in several countries as they contain small quantities of radioactive material Americium meaning there are storage and disposal issues.