How can you tell if old glass has uranium?

Author: Luciano Lowe  |  Last update: Monday, October 6, 2025

Perhaps the most reliable way to identify the presence of uranium in the glass is to expose it in the dark to a source of ultraviolet light (e.g., a black light). If the glass glows a rich green color, it contains uranium.

How to tell if glass has uranium in it?

How to Identify Uranium Glass. The easiest way to tell if uranium glass is real is to look at it under UV light. Real uranium glass will glow bright green under the light. The brightness of the colour will depend on the uranium content, but if glass glows under UV, it is unmistakably uranium glass.

Is it safe to drink from uranium glass?

Uranium glass is perfectly safe both to wear and eat/drink out of, especially seeing how little radiation it's giving off. Some will probably point out the fact that uranium is an alpha emitter, and therefore, the particles it sheds will be effectively blocked by a literal plastic bag.

What color of depression glass has uranium in it?

Depression glass: Transparent yellow or transparent yellow-green glass, glows green if uranium oxide was included. Contains other colorants to “up” the green color, like iron oxide. Less popular with collectors because it is “tainted”.

What is the rarest color of Depression glass?

What color of Depression Glass is rare? Pink and crystal (clear) are two of the rarest colors of Depression glass.

Uranium Glass | What Is It and How To Spot It

Why is uranium glass illegal?

From circa 1943 until 1958, because of the events of World War II and the Cold War, U.S. officials did not allow the production of uranium glass since the government had banned uranium salts from commercial use. Only after uranium oxide was deregulated did the U.S. government allow uranium glass to be manufactured.

Should you collect uranium glass?

As for collecting uranium glass, he advises, "If it gives you pleasure visibly—some of these things are absolutely beautiful—there's no real risk there." On the other hand, "If you are concerned about radiation, and a lot of people are, then give it to someone else who would like it." When asked if he would eat a ...

Does uranium glass glow without a blacklight?

To identify uranium glass without using a blacklight, the best method is to observe the glass for a distinctive green or yellow-green color in natural light. Uranium glass, often referred to as Vaseline glass, contains uranium oxide, which can impart a unique color to the glass.

What is the difference between Depression glass and uranium glass?

The term “uranium glass” generally describes glass with uranium oxide, which glows under a black light. Other terms — Vaseline glass and Depression glass, for example — came later and apply more specifically to lighter yellow glass and glass made during the Great Depression, respectively.

Can I touch uranium glass?

Uranium glass, or Vaseline glass, is a prized collector's item and is generally safe to handle.

When did they stop making uranium glass?

Uranium glass was produced regularly until just before WWII, when the US government halted production as uranium became highly regulated. This moratorium lasted until 1958, when uranium oxide was deregulated, and uranium glass has continued to be produced ever since (Collector's Weekly n.d.).

Is it safe to wear uranium glass jewelry?

Uranium glass is considered safe to wear and handle, according to the U.S. nuclear Regulatory Commission. In fact, it is considered to be safer than household electronics.

How do you detect uranium?

The most commonly used detectors for uranium in vivo counting are sodium iodide, phoswich (NaI and CsI sandwich), and hyperpure germanium, which measure the gamma rays emitted during uranium decay (DOE 1988, 2009).

How to identify depression glass?

Depression glass buying tips

Bubbles, flaws in moulding, and inconsistent colour are simply signs of authentic Depression glass. You'll also find small lines at the base of any piece. These are called straw marks, which were created by cast-iron moulds used to make the glass.

What color is uranium?

Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium has the highest atomic weight of all naturally occurring elements.

How to tell if it's real uranium glass?

Perhaps the most reliable way to identify the presence of uranium in the glass is to expose it in the dark to a source of ultraviolet light (e.g., a black light). If the glass glows a rich green color, it contains uranium.

How rare is uranium glass?

Through the 1950s, the Cold War and nuclear race tied up the uranium supply, but the tinted glass had a resurgence of popularity in the groovy '60s and '70s. It's rare to see it made today. That means that almost all uranium glass pieces you'll find are antiques dating back 50 years or more.

What does uranium glass look like in normal light?

The normal colour of uranium glass ranges from yellow to green depending on the oxidation state and concentration of the metal ions, although this may be altered by the addition of other elements as glass colorants. Uranium glass also fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light.

What happens if you pick up uranium?

Why is uranium dangerous? Inhaling uranium in copious amounts can lead to lung cancer. Ingesting it can also cause bone and liver cancer, and damage the kidneys.

Does uranium glow in the dark?

“However, when uranium is exposed to water and air in the natural environment, it 'rusts' and forms uranium oxides,” Verbelen continues. “When those oxides combine with other elements, they form minerals that do glow in the dark, with a little bit of 'help'.”

How much uranium is in Vaseline glass?

To put that in perspective, the review was considering inhalation, the most significant exposure pathway, of nearly pure uranium, as opposed to the typical 2% (and no more than 25%) uranium concentration in Vaseline glass.

Is it legal to own a piece of uranium?

But it's legal (https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part040/part040-0013.html) for you to own “unimportant quantities” of source material so, as long as: The uranium has not been processed to enrich it. The uranium or thorium are less than 0.05% of the mass of the rock or ore material.

Why is it called Vaseline glass?

A: Vaseline glass is a specific type of uranium glass. It got its name from its distinctive yellowish color, which looks like petroleum jelly. It is also sometimes referred to as canary glass because of its yellow color.

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