Family Radiation Measurement Kit

2025-01-07T13:52:40-05:00

This Family Radiation Measurement Kit was manufactured by the Cincinnati, Ohio division of the Bendix Corporation during the early 1960s. It retailed for around $25. The Bendix kit was one of the first commercially available radiation detection devices designed for home use. It was marketed during the Cold War years, when families were encouraged to build fallout shelters and prepare for the possibility of nuclear war.

The kit contains three main parts: the Ratemeter (CD V-736), the Dosimeter (CD V-746), and the Charger (CD V-756). The Ratemeter was placed in an area of possible radiation, and after a minute, a reading was taken, giving the dose rate in roentgens (a unit of measurement for exposure to radiation) per hour. If the meter didn’t move, the Ratemeter could be left out for an additional nine minutes to acquire the dose rate in roentgens per hour. The Dosimeter measured the total amount of radiation exposure on a scale of zero to 600 roentgens and could be clipped to a belt or pocket. It was used after the Ratemeter indicated that radiation was present. The Charger was used to zero the Ratemeter and Dosimeter between readings.

The kit also includes an instruction and maintenance manual and an instruction sheet. The latter includes a graph of the typical effects of radiation exposure. According to this graph, a dose of 75 roentgens causes vomiting in about 10% of people; a dose of 100 causes hair loss in at least 10% of people; a dose more than 200 roentgens is severe enough to require medical care in 9 out of 10 cases; and a dose of 450 roentgens is the median lethal dose (fatal to 50%). Survivors are unlikely when exposure reaches 600 roentgens.