Very, very little. If you have a photo-electric smoke detector, there is no radioactive substance in it. If you have the much more common "ionization" type, there is a radio-nuclide in it --- usually 1 micro-curie of americium-241. A micro-curie is one-millionth of one curie (Question 16). Americium-241 emits alpha particles (Question 17), which are kept inside the case. It also emits some gamma radiation which can penetrate the case.

Smoke detectors should be placed outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas such as dens, living rooms, or family rooms. Remember to test the detectors regularly!

Place smoke detectors in the corridors leading into bedrooms. Mount the detector in the middle of the ceiling or twelve inches down from the ceiling if mounted on a wall. If you live in a two-story home, place the detector at the top of the stairwell. Never place the detector close to a kitchen or bathroom. If possible, place a smoke detector on every level of the home.

LDR brachytherapy is uses iodine-125 and palladium-103 stored in titanium cases usually referred to as brachytherapy seeds. As the name permanent brachytherapy suggest, the seeds are permanently left inside the prostate gland. Over the course of their radioactive lives, the seeds will continuously emit low levels of radiation.

HDR brachytherapy uses a single radioactive seed made of iridium-194 which is sometimes referred to as an iridium wire. Soft flexible plastic catheters are inserted through the perineum and into the prostate gland. HDR brachytherapy entails an overnight stay in the hospital during which a patient undergoes two or three treatments with the wire through each catheter.

Generally, a chirping sound means that the battery in your detector needs to be changed. If you would like assistance with a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, please give us a call at (864) 967-9545 during business hours.

Direct Conversion - When a radioactive photon strikes a depletion region created by reverse bias on the photodiode, it produces a small amount of charge in proportion to the photon's energy. The resulting signal is then amplified and processed by the CPU in the RadDetect?.

Traditionally in the United States, rads and rems are used to measure absorbed dose and dose equivalent. Rads measure energy deposition per unit mass (100 ergs/g) and are independent of the material in which the radiation deposits its energy. Rems modify a dose to reflect its affect on a person. In fact rem originally stood for Radiation Equivalent in Man. The factor that multiplies a dose in rads to get the dose equivalent in rems is called the quality factor or Q.

The batteries must be replaced every six months, so we recommend that you change your smoke detector batteries every time you change your clocks. In addition to changing your smoke detector batteries, your smoke detectors must be tested. Although smoke detectors differ by model (please review your installation and owners manual), most can be tested by pressing and holding the test button on the unit. The smoke detector will usually beep several times.

Your smoke detector's manual should give you detailed instructions on how to test your smoke detector. Usually, this is done by pressing a button in the center of the smoke detector. If you press this button down for a few seconds and it beeps, than the battery should still be working. If the smoke detector does not beep, than replace the battery and test again.

You should test your smoke detector monthly. Most detectors have a button you can push to test them. Change the batteries in your smoke detector at least once a year. A handy way to remember to change your batteries is to do it when you change your clocks for daylight savings time. Smoke detectors should be replaced at least every ten years. Never disable your smoke detector by removing the batteries. Remember, a smoke detector that isn’t working cannot save you.

Once a year or sooner if the low battery alarm comes on. Pick a date to change the battery that will help your remember, like the date you change your clocks ahead in the spring.

If you elect to purchase smoke detectors that are to be connected to your home's electrical system, you should have a qualified electrician install them. If you purchase those that are solely battery powered, you can install them yourself with a screwdriver and a drill, but install them according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you "change your battery when you change your clock" (twice yearly). Be sure that when you insert a new battery that the battery contacts snap tightly into the detector battery contacts. We have found many inoperable detectors with the batteries not properly installed. Also, if your smoke detector is more than 10 years old, it should be replaced as the sensors become too contaminated from household cooking and dust.

Smoke detectors should be tested once a month. The simplest test is to press the test button on your detector and check that it beeps loudly. It is also important to test the batteries and replace them every 6 months.