Thoriated tungsten electrode is the earliest used rare earth tungsten electrode. Compared with pure tungsten electrode, it has lower electronic ding, higher recrystallization temperature, better conductivity and mechanical cutting performance.
Thoriated tungsten electrode is normally sharpened by grinding as part of the standard procedure while preparing to perform gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). While this type of tungsten electrode contains thorium - a low-level radioactive material that emits alpha particles as well as some beta and gamma radiation, so that it can pose health and environmental risks at elevated exposure levels. And therefore dust particles from this grinding process can cause internal radiation exposure if the dust is accidentally ingested or inhaled, so precaution is necessary. Concern regarding radiation exposure to the external body from the electrode is minimal.
You should regularly remove the dust generated by grinding and properly dispose of the dust and spent electrodes in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations to do with the collected dust particles.
The use of this kind of electrode is exempt from Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. And all persons shipping thoriated tungsten electrodes in the United States need to comply with Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. DOT requires the thoriated tungsten electrodes to be properly packaged and labeled. The surface of the package must be monitored for radioactivity.
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