INDUSTRY - Safety

Safety:
Safety including benefits and problems from Americium-241

Benefits and Problems:

Benefits	Problems
Am-241 lasts for generations. This means smoke detectors will not need to be replaced often.	Am-241 is insoluble but when taken in soluble form it is potentially dangerous. As it decays both alpha activity and gamma emissions, it tends to accumulate in the liver and bones having a massive health risk of bone problems and cancer.
Am-241 doesn’t need to be in huge quantities to be affective. In smoke detectors, less than 1g is used meaning it won’t be harmful to a household, as the radiation dose is essentially zero.	The cost of producing Am-241 is $1500 per gram.
The amount of Am-241 used in smoke detectors is 0.29 micrograms. This mean a gram of the isotope provides enough active material for more than 3 million household detectors.	Environmentally, Am-241 escapes from industries as an oxide (insoluble). However through biological processes, increase in solubility may occur. This will result in water contamination and sickening those who consume it.
The Am-241 effectively ionises particles in the air, which works the smoke alarms. Smoke alarms save people’s lives, bringing about the awareness of possible fire within the house.

Further Safety:

Precautions:
In smoke detectors Am-241 is covered and securely bound in a metal foil to reduce radiation when being used in smoke detectors.Inhaling Am-241 can lead to soluble parts of the isotope to concentrate on lungs and stomach. 
Protective gear such as gloves, foot ware and respiratory equipment must be worn for workers coming into contact with the radioisotope. Precautions must still be taken and it is advised:

- To not burn smoke alarms in order for disposal
- Do not attempt to dismantle a smoke alarm. 

Storage:
When storing Am-241, strict guidelines are to be followed. Sourced from the U.S.NRC a licensed worker…  “Shall not possess at any one time, at any location of storage or use, more than 0.185 megabequrel of Am-241”. This form of calibration also has a strict transfer and transport rule that has to have specific labelling and a signature of authority. The radioactive material is stored in a closed container specifically designed and constructed to contain Am-241, which bears the authorised label. 

Disposal:
Concern about disposal of smoke alarms has reduced. This is because the amount of Am-241 within the smoke detector as very small. From an environmental and public health view, this amount of Am-241 is not a hazard. As the radioactive material is also securely wrapped in metal foil, it is said to be safe to dispose of smoke detectors in household bins. The Radiation Health Committee believes smoke detectors are safe to be added to landfill and that returning them to the manufacturer is not warranted.