Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Atom Probe Tomography Analysis of Exsolved Mineral Phases
Published on: October 25, 2019
Beyond low-level activity: on a "non-radioactive" gas mantle
Karin Poljanc1, Georg Steinhauser, Johannes H Sterba
1Atominstitut der Osterreichischen Universitäten, Vienna University of Technology, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
Gas mantles for camping gas lanterns sometimes contain thorium compounds. During the last years, the use of thorium-free gas mantles has become more and more popular due to the avoidance of a radioactive heavy metal. We investigated a gas mantle type that is declared to be "non-radioactive" and that can be bought in Austria at the moment. Methods used were Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), gamma-spectroscopy, and Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC). We found massive thorium contents of up to 259 mg per gas mantle. Leaching experiments showed that only 0.4% of the Th but approximately 90% of the decay products of (232)Th can be leached under conditions simulating sucking and chewing with human saliva. In this paper, the investigation of these gas mantles including the consideration of the environmental hazard caused by disposed mantles and the health hazard for unsuspecting consumers is presented and legal consequences are discussed for this fraud.
More Related Videos
09:18Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Published on: December 14, 2017
13:11Using Flexible Gold-Titanium Reaction Cells to Simulate Pressure-Dependent Microbial Activity in the Context of Subsurface Biomining
Published on: October 5, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
Nuclear Stability
To hold positively charged protons together in the...
Microbial Mats
Types of Radioactivity
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
Nuclear Fission