Murray Green, K3BEQ wrote:
In this weekend's Radio Amateur Information Network (R.A.I.N.) audio
news, they featured Michael Crestohl, W1RC, at the 2000 Dayton Ham-
Vention. Michael was deeply involved at the time in working with the
U.S. government to remove or reclassify collectible surplus radio
gear from its demilitarization list.

In the interview, Michael mentions that the meter needles in the R390A
were "radio active" and had to be removed before the equipment could
be demilitarized by the government. (It was not clear if this pertained
to all of the R390As or certain models.)

Just a FYI to R390A owners. The broadcast can be heard at:
http://www.rrsta.com/rain/ (The statement about the meter needles
comes in around 11:15 minutes into the approximate 15 minute audio
news.)

Just how radio active the needles are was not mentioned. Also I
suspect that some R390A went to MARS members and may not have been
demilitarized. I had one for many years and this was the first I
heard about the needles.
The need to have glow in the dark dials etc. caused them to use radium
salts in phosphorus-compound paint to make the phosphorus glow from the
beta particles (I think) emitted by the radium salts.

A watch company in Southern Illinois (Olney) had people paintiong this
stuff on their dials and people wet the paintbrush tips to make them
sharper with their lips and many people were (over time) poisoned

Yodar