Searching the internet for thoriated tungsten millisieverts will get a few relevant hits. I've only scanned through it but https://www.bghm.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Arbeitsschuetzer/Fachinformationen/Schweissen/BGI_746e.pdf has a few estimations of radiation exposure in it like
For comparisons sake https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...mparisons/ionising-radiation-dose-comparisons not trying to be glib but living in Cornwall and having a chest CT results in a higher dose. That's another reason why i think it be better for thoriated tungsten warnings to be along the lines of "grinding dust is a known carcinogen" instead of radioactive... tell a 17 year old trainee that his tungstens are radioactive and the response is fairly likely to be 'cool', tell them that thoriated dust/fume is known to increase of the incidence of cancer on the other hand
Agree it's a good idea to make it widely known that healthier, or at least less unhealthy, alternatives exist. That's been happening for eons though and not just from the companies marketing 'non radioactive' flavours.
Plansee tungsten is (or used to be at least) available through Elmer Wallace too, unlike DGP they don't offer to cut it up and grind it for you though [/tongue in cheek]
Example 2
A welder exclusively works with the d.c. process for 1760 hours per year, half of his working hours with WT20, the other half with WT40 electrodes. He grinds the electrodes about 1000 times a year. The annual exposure is calculated as follows:
880 h x 4,2 μSv/h + 880 h x 8,4 μSv/h + 500 x 0,58 μSv + 500 x 0,29 μSv
= 11 523 μSv or about 11,5 mSv per year.
For comparisons sake https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...mparisons/ionising-radiation-dose-comparisons not trying to be glib but living in Cornwall and having a chest CT results in a higher dose. That's another reason why i think it be better for thoriated tungsten warnings to be along the lines of "grinding dust is a known carcinogen" instead of radioactive... tell a 17 year old trainee that his tungstens are radioactive and the response is fairly likely to be 'cool', tell them that thoriated dust/fume is known to increase of the incidence of cancer on the other hand
Agree it's a good idea to make it widely known that healthier, or at least less unhealthy, alternatives exist. That's been happening for eons though and not just from the companies marketing 'non radioactive' flavours.
Bear in mind much of the stuff on the Diamond Ground site is more applicable to automated TIG... stuff like tungsten grinders are more important with automated kit as the tip geometry is an essential variable with robots, the companies that made them spotted a new market when everyone started worrying about tungsten dust. They BUY their tungsten from Plansee, Wolfram Industries and Sylvania according to their own FAQ.If that's your experience then fair enough, Diamond Ground claim to be a, if not are the leading manufacturer with respect to tungstens and grinders...
Might be worthwhile giving them a shout, they do produce custom tungstens and offer a regrinding service which they claim to out perform anyone else...
A long time ago they offered cryogenically treated thoriated electrodes and provide samples and orders still. They're cooled in liquid nitrogen and warmed slowly to increase the tungsten density and properties, they had a marked improvement over standard thoriated electrodes in extensive testing, food for thought.
The guy that responded to me is one of their directors and they've been trading in the UK for 16 years... They were originally solely based in the US, adding a factory in the UK to dip into the European market.
Plansee tungsten is (or used to be at least) available through Elmer Wallace too, unlike DGP they don't offer to cut it up and grind it for you though [/tongue in cheek]