DANGER - Are You Using Nuclear Exit Signs?

Feb 18, 2020 11:00:00 AM / by Zachary L. Green

 

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Tritium information

Tritium exit signs are very dangerous products that are out in the market and still being used today. The problem with tritium exit signs is that they use a nuclear gas, called either tritium or radium, which will glow in the dark similar to photoluminescence.

Benefits of tritium exit signs:

  • Do not require an external source of light to glow
  • Can be used in settings where there the external light source is very weak or non-existent such as:
  1. Movie theaters
  2. Large warehouse settings
  • Do not require any type of electricity to run to them

However, the problems associated with tritium exit signs far outweigh the benefits

Disadvantages of tritium exit signs:

Tritium exit sign precautions

  • Not only are they more expensive than normal electric exit signs, but they are also even more expensive to dispose of
  • People will be hesitant to enter a store if it is known the building is using nuclear exit signs, hurting business
  • If just one of those signs were to crack or chip:If you have been contaminated by a tritium exit sign
  1. Immediately becomes hazardous nuclear waste cleanup material
  2. Can cost up to $100,000 to clean up the nuclear material
  3. There is a protocol requiring about 30 days worth of air quality control
  4. The cleanup process usually requires all exposed inventory to be destroyed
    Dangers and risks of tritium exit signs

  To show how much tritium exit signs can affect a company's PR value, do a quick google search of  “tritium exit signs and retail environments”. There are countless stories about multiple big-box company's having significant problems because of these signs.

How to get rid of a tritium exit sign – cheapest option:

  • How to dispose of your tritum exit signsLocate a registered Nuclear Regulatory Commission exit sign recycling company
  • Register the exit sign with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and receive a return authorization
  • If the exit sign is expired:
  1. The sign can no longer be used but must be maintained on the property
  2. The facility owner is responsible for maintaining the exit sign and close control
  • Once the return authorization is received:
  1. You are responsible for packaging it as well as making sure it is properly protected
  2. Locating a shipper that will take nuclear material and shipping it to the recycling company that is registered with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Once the recycling company recycles the exit sign, they will send a certificate showing proof that the sign has been recycled properly
  • Once you receive the certificate, you are responsible for registering that letter, usually with your state or federal officials to show that that nuclear sign that you had registered with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been properly disposed of and properly recycled
  • This process is around $200 and requires the labor listed above

LumAware Safety brings an option to the table to save all the hassle and stress:

  1. Take the tritium exit sign off the wall
  2. Place the sign in a box – the box is provided by LumAware and is made with a special type of packing material to handle nuclear material
  3. LumAware handles the recycling process and paperwork
  4. In the end, you are issued a certificate showing the sign has been recycled and taken care of
  5. This option takes most of the risk-off of yourself

We also offer a total turnkey solution:

  1. We will bring in our own team to take down the tritium exit sign and perform the entire service listed above
  2. The tritium exit sign that has been recycled will then be replaced with a LumAware photoluminescent exit sign

Turn key solution tritium Lumaware-1

The total turnkey solution by LumAware takes away all the liabilities of performing this process yourself and replaces with our exit sign that is guaranteed for 25 years and has a life expectancy.

LumAware code approved UL exit signs are a great replacement option to dangerous tritium signs because:

-🔋 No batteries
-💡 No light bulbs
-♻️ Are sustainable
-🔌 No electricity
-👨‍🔧 No monthly testing or maintenance

Lumaware is the better option

 

Tags: Insider, Lumaware, sustainability, safety, ecofriendly, cabvi, energy, energyefficient, madeinusa, marine, MN8, Foxfire, mn8foxfire, firefighter, veteran, leed, sales, marketing, radium, tritium

Zachary L. Green

Written by Zachary L. Green

Zachary Green is a 1991 graduate of Roger Bacon High School and a 1995 graduate of Bowling Green State University. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former lieutenant with his local fire department, Zachary is the founder and CEO of MN8 LumAware/Foxfire. MN8 is a global leader in photoluminescent safety solutions used by over 80,000 firefighters in more than 25 countries. In addition, Zachary has developed a line of safety items ranging from products that help people find their way out of dark stairwells to code approved EXIT signs that never need batteries, lightbulbs, electricity or testing. These products save over 7 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 30,000 batteries and 60,000 lightbulbs per year. Zachary recently received the President of the United Sates “E” award for exporting and has been honored as Exporter of the Year by the Ohio Small Business Administration. Zachary was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, the front page of Yahoo.com, MSN.com and in USA Today along with numerous other local and national media outlets. Zachary has testified in front of the US House of Representative Small Business committee and was named Entrepreneur of the year by Governor John Kasich. Zachary was also selected by the Obama White House as one of 10 entrepreneurs to represent the United States at the Global Entrepreneur Summit. Zachary Green has presented to hundreds of trade organizations, facilities and architectural firms, and was an expert witness for the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee. As an American Institute of Architects HSW presenter, he has lectured to hundreds of architects representing dozens of architectural firms throughout the nation. A specialist in photoluminescent safety applications and the associated International Building and Fire codes, Zachary has developed the International Code Council (ICC), International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) curriculum for the state Fire Marshal of South Carolina that featured egress and EXIT sign safety-approved training. Zachary has presented to various state fire and building inspectors throughout Ohio, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and internationally. Zachary Green lives in the City of Wyoming (Cincinnati),Ohio was recently elected to the Wyoming (Ohio) City council.