H3 Trigalights®
Trigalights is a creation of the words “TRI tium”, “GA seous”, “LIGHT” and “S ource” and is a registered trademark of our business partner and world market leader for tritium gas light lamps from Switzerland. Emergency watches from KHS with H3 illumination only use Trigalights® from Swiss production, which glow visibly for a very long time without any external energy supply.
Tritium gas light sources were invented in the 1960s. They usually consist of a glass tube made of borosilicate glass that is coated on the inside with zinc sulfide and is also filled with tritium gas (H3). They shine much more brightly than the previously known tritium-containing fluorescent colors.
In addition to their long lifespan, Trigalights® also have the advantage of not having to be charged by an external energy source in order to be able to glow in the dark - they actively shine from within themselves. This guarantees optimal readability of every KHS H3 emergency watch day and night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and for up to 25 years!
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How it works & security:
As already mentioned at the beginning, a Trigalight® consists of a glass body filled with tritium gas, which is coated on the inside with zinc sulfide. During the radioactive decay of the tritium gas (H3) used, electrons (beta radiation) are emitted. This radiation hits the zinc sulfide layer and causes it to glow. The colors of the Trigalights® are therefore not influenced by the gas filled, but by the inner coating, which can be varied in its composition - and therefore in color. The brightness of the Trigalight® is proportional to the filling pressure (amount of gas). It is also very important to mention that the electrons (beta radiation) cannot penetrate or leave the glass tubes made of borosilicate glass. No beta radiation can escape!
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Return:
Please send KHS products with Trigalights® back to us after use or at the end of the product's life for proper disposal and recycling.
The return address is:
KHS e.K
Gewerbeallee 4
45478 Mülheim / Ruhr -
Hazards:
In the previous section we could already read that borosilicate glass can completely shield beta radiation. What happens in the EXTREMELY unlikely event that the glass of a KHS Tactical watch is destroyed, all Trigalights® also break and complete inhalation of the tritium gas occurs?
According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, the existing natural radiation exposure lies in Germany an average of 2.1 millisieverts (mSv) per citizen per year, which corresponds to 2,100 microsieverts (µSv) per year. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection continues, quote: "Assuming the destruction of a watch with around 1 GBq, in which all tritium sources break, inhalation of the tritium would result in a dose of around 20 microsieverts (µSv). When using watches as intended However, with GTLS, destruction of the glass tubes filled with tritium gas is practically impossible."
Let's note that the existing natural radiation exposure in Germany is 105 times higher than the radiation exposure that occurs in nature. To make it even clearer To illustrate, a banana emits radiation of approximately 0.1 microsievert (µSv) into the human body, eat 200 bananas a year and you have found the equivalent of 16 broken Trigalights® from complete inhalation of the tritium gas. -
Legality:
Trigalights® can be purchased legally in most countries around the world, but there are also countries where they are unfortunately not allowed to be purchased civilly, for example France at the moment. In most countries there are legal regulations or special requirements for use in the civilian market.
In Germany there is a legal requirement that H3 watches for the civilian market have a maximum activity of 1 gigabecquerel (GBq ) must not be exceeded.
The possession of civilian products from Trigalights with a total activity of over 1 gigabecquerel (GBq) is subject to authorization in Germany. Possession without appropriate authorization is legally an administrative offense and can be punished with a fine of up to 50.000 euros.
For the manufacture and import/export of products with Trigalight® technology you need also an approval from the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).
All KHS products, such as KHS H3 emergency watches and KHS H3 trigatags, naturally comply with all legal requirements. -
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