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There are two basic kinds of smoke detector, ionization and photoelectric.
The ionization variety, which accounts for about 75% of all currently available detectors, contains a radioactive substance, usually Americium 241.
This material is enclosed in a thin protective foil within the detector. As long as the foil remains intact, no significant radiation escapes from the device.
The foil, however, can be breached by fire and other types of friction and stress.
Americium 241 is 53 times more radioactive by weight than plutonium 239. It has a half life of 458 years. It can cause cancer if even a minute amount is ingested.
The greatest danger of an Americium release from the detectors occurs if the devices are improperly disposed. Many detectors give no indication of a radioactive substance and instructions to return the device to the manufacturer are often in the form of a "recommendation" placed in an obscure part of the detector.
Because of the lack of safeguards for disposal and because some 20 million ionization detectors are expected to be in use within a few years, it is highly likely that some Americium will escape the devices and end up in the environment and ultimately the human food chain.
The photoelectric smoke detector, which operates on an electric current and contains no radioactive material, is a safe, reliable and effective alternative to the ionization devices.
Congressman Weiss and State Senator McCall are therefore introducing legislation in the house and New York State Senate to ban the manufacture and sale of ionization smoke detectors.They are also urging the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to undertake an immediate review of its licensing provisions for ionization smoke detector manufacturers.
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