Answer to Question #5340 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Consumer Products — Smoke Detectors

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I recently remodeled my daughter's room and in the process I decided to dust the smoke detector in that room. I grabbed the smoke detector and blew on it where the americium is housed. There was a lot of dust in there and I inhaled some of it. That dust was probably there for five years. Can regular dust become radioactive if it lands on the americium?

In short, you have nothing to worry about. The americium source in a smoke detector is sealed inside a closed chamber and bonded to a substrate to prevent it from flaking or spalling, which could render the smoke detector inoperative. Ordinary house dust cannot be made radioactive by the americium in the smoke detector. And as a reminder, when the smoke detector has reached the end of its useful life, it should be returned to the manufacturer or given to your local fire department.

Ron Kathren, CHP

Answer posted on March 27, 2006. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.