Eco-Friendly Exit Signs – Why Use Them Instead

The more we increase our knowledge about the ever growing threats of technology to the environment, particularly radioactive tritium technology, which is used in the manufacture of many of the battery backup exit sign all over the country, the more we become ashamed of ourselves for not giving this idea any consideration at all. We could actually switch to healthier choices for our structure’s exit signage and emergency lighting.

Each tritium exit sign emits a certain isotope in gas form which conveys light and radioactive substance through beta rays. Every sign is provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with its own registration number who keeps track of them, at the same time. The governing body that has long been on the tail of tritium and has started stepping up their campaign. In fact, the state of New Jersey and the U.S Department of Defense have prohibited the use of tritium exit signage in their buildings and this practice is starting to spread out to cities and States.

Add to this the dilemma of having to dispose these exit signs in the most appropriate manner. A lot of retail companies are beginning to understand the legal implications involved if they totally disregarded this matter. Just the management of these emergency light battery signs is already a great responsibility, plus the disposal must be performed under the supervision of somebody who is licensed to handle hazardous substances. Many business owners have been penalized for disposing their old or broken tritium signs into the trash cans, confident that the FBI and the NRC will not find out about their carelessness.

Tritium is very unstable and dangerous that manufacturers have been required to close shop for as long as the cleanup was being done, which is usually very extensive. As a matter of fact, there is not a single tritium exit sign producer left in the States because of serious environmental issues. The only remaining manufacturer in North America is in Canada, which has been shut down several times due to environmental safety infringements.

Apparently, the call to do away with tritium exit signs deserve no argument; on the other hand, people may not have the idea regarding their appropriate replacements. Incandescent lighting likewise bring a number of difficulties which includes the need to replace bulbs, fixture and wiring every now and then. They consume so much electricity since they have to be on for twenty four hours everyday and need to be supported by either battery or generator sets to guarantee they will actually function in case of an emergency.

As of now, the best alternative is the use of photoluminescent exit signage. These type of exit signs consume no energy, are a hundred percent reusable with a life span of twenty five years for some and don’t need constant maintenance. They pick up and store ambient light for utilization when an emergency takes place, and are detectable in darkness up to a hundred feet or in gloomy circumstances. They are, at the same time, characterized to be indestructible, even by bomb explosions, just in case you are considering such an option for your units. What’s more, these signs are less costly, have various models, and will considerably decrease your building’s carbon footprint by about one half of a million pounds of carbon dioxide over their life span.