Neither you nor your customers are at risk from the radiation given off by uranium in Vaseline glass, whether they're holding the piece or it's just sitting on a shelf or table. Neither you nor your customers are at risk from uranium if you accidentally ingest or inhale dust or small chips that happen to break off.
Vaseline Glass Not Dangerous, But Addictive.
As of 2014, a few manufacturers continue the vaseline glass tradition: Fenton Glass, Mosser Glass, Gibson Glass and Jack Loranger. U.S. production of uranium glasses ceased in the middle years of World War II because of the government's confiscation of uranium supplies for the Manhattan Project from 1942 to 1958.
Clocks, watches and dials that glow-in-the-dark without the use of a battery may contain radium or tritium. Ceramics made until the 1970s may have glazes colored with radionuclides. Vaseline glass, or canary glass, contains a small amount of uranium. This gives the glass its yellow-green color.
The type of radiation given off is virtually harmless, as mentioned previously, the levels are very low, a single sheet of paper is enough to stop the particles of radiation emitted, uranium glass is perfectly safe to use, and in the case of on jewelry, perfectly safe to wear, even on a daily basis.
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.
Uranium glass is used as a blanket term for any glass containing uranium, but vaseline glass is a very specific type of uranium glass. Vaseline glass has a distinctive yellow colour, which is why it is often referred to as canary glass.
There was a ban on the production of Vaseline glass from 1943 to 1958, and after the ban was lifted, uranium prices were higher due to its use as a power source. This made the production of new Vaseline glass more expensive.
During a bout of pleurisy (a condition often caused by the flu virus, in which the tissue 'twixt lung and chest wall becomes inflamed, causing difficulty breathing), Chesebrough had his nurse cover and rub him, head to foot, in Vaseline. He soon recovered.
“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'.”
Like all types of colored glass, minerals are added to the molten mixture during production to achieve the color. The type of mineral added to vaseline glass (uranium dioxide) is actually what makes it glow.
Only by testing with the black light will a piece be verifiable. Vaseline Glass can be yellow, yellow-green, or green. Individual collectors each have their own preference as to the exact color of Vaseline glass collected.
How long do Radium products glow for. Radium products usually lose their ability to glow in the dark in a period ranging anywhere from a few years to several decades, but all will cease to glow at some point. A key point to bear in mind is this: the product is still highly radioactive.
Technically, uranium glass is radioactive—but at such a low level, it won't harm you from ordinary handling or from living with pieces on display. In fact, in 2001, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission published a report stating that uranium glass is considered safer than most household electronics.
One of the very few remaining companies still making vaseline glass. Established in 1978. Originally the Degenhart factory. Boyd uses some original molds and they have also purchased some older molds, like the Imperial candlewick mold pictured here.
Neither you nor your customers are at risk from the radiation given off by uranium in Vaseline glass, whether they're holding the piece or it's just sitting on a shelf or table. Neither you nor your customers are at risk from uranium if you accidentally ingest or inhale dust or small chips that happen to break off.
When this is done, the glass turns a bright florescent green! Sometimes, even the most trained eye can be fooled by a piece of glass that looks like vaseline glass, but without the addition of uranium, the glass will not 'glow' or fluoresce bright green under a blacklight.”
Uranium glass was first identified in 1789 but was widely discontinued after the Cold War when uranium supply's became more stickily controlled.
Other names the glass has been known by: Vaseline glass (because it resembled the yellowish greasy color of petroleum jelly of the past), custard glass, canary glass, even some green depression glass was uranium in it! These names primarily describe the appearance of the glass, not the uranium content.
It's what bred the iconic Atomic age, it's highly collectible, and best of all: it's completely legal to own. One of our greatest pleasures is being able to offer that unforgettable moment when students & novices alike realize that they are able to hold safe nuclear material in their hands.
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.