emergency exit lighting

emergency exit lighting

If you have been in a public building lately, chances are you have seen an exit sign above all exterior doors. Building codes require that certain public buildings install and maintain exit signs. A large skyscraper easily will house 300 or more exit signs, while a movie theater may need 20. The most popular style of exit signs in use today is tritium exit signs. These signs are sometimes referred to as nuclear exit signs because of their makeup. Tritium is a radioactive form of the element hydrogen. Because of their initial cost and because they are made with a radioactive substance, are nuclear exit signs worth investing in?

Nuclear exit signs have replaced traditional electric, hard-wired signs over the last few decades. Electric signs require the expertise of a certified electrician to wire the building for use of the signs. Then the signs must also be maintained and fixed by a qualified electrician. They are turned on 24 hours a day so they also consume a fair amount of energy over a year’s time. With tritium exit signs, there is no cost to light the fixture as they are self-illuminating. But what is tritium and how do they use it as sustainable source of light?

Tritium occurs naturally in our atmosphere. It is also a by product of nuclear power manufacturing. While it is radioactive, it is not yet believed to be nearly as dangerous as radium. Radium was found to cause severe, life threatening illnesses to those who were directly exposed to the element. Tritium is not life threatening and is the least dangerous radionuclide. In fact, in normal doses, it can not even penetrate unbroken skin. If it does get into the body, the weak radiation quickly disperses and leaves the body. It is not stored to cause long term damage. Nevertheless, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Air Act both regulate the use and disposal of tritium, including its use in exit signs.

Tritium exists in exit signs as a high temperature gas trapped in a glass casing. When mixed with a chemical, tritium emits a continuous, self powered light. The light is dim and can not be seen in daylight, however, tritium glows brightly in the dark. Once a tritium exit sign is manufactured, there is no further maintenance needed for many years. Commonly the signs are available in 10, 15, and 20 year life spans. The more tritium in the tube, the longer the life span is of that exit sign.

Nuclear signs can be purchased anywhere, including online. There is no special handling required for installing the signs. Damaging the sign is difficult but often can occur if the sign is dropped during installation. If a sign is damaged, everyone must leave the building. The EPA recommends venting the building, exiting immediately, and noting everyone who may have been exposed. Then the fire company should be notified and they will dispatch a hazmat professional. The agency also recommends taking a shower immediately if you came in contact with the inner broken tube and discarding clothing right away. It should be noted though, that these instances are not common.

Once a tritium exit sign’s lifespan has expired, it is required to return it to the manufacturer for proper disposal. Throwing an exit sign away or dumping it in a community dump is against the law. All exit signs must have the manufacturer’s contact information directly on the sign. Most manufacturers will dispose of an old exit sign without cost if a new sign is purchased. The initial cost of the sign can be viewed as a negative factor, especially when one sign can cost upwards of $300.00.

Despite the initial expense and possibly a small fee for disposal, there is no additional cost to maintain nuclear exit signs. The environmental and health risks are deemed to be minimal and then, only if the inner tube is broken.

Additionally, they provide stable emergency lighting even when there is no power. They also perform under extreme temperatures up to 175 degrees, thus making them effective during a fire. For these reasons, it is clear that tritium exit signs are a valuable investment and worth your small, extra effort to dispose of them every 10-20 years.

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For information on the annual number of deaths caused by installations of fire?

I try to do my profession to improve the prevention of fire detection (traffic conditions emergency exit, etc.) and will find information on accidents and deaths caused by the fire prevention team defective or non-standard. Thank you all very much:)

Statistics are not kept