"A typical radium dial watch produces somewhere between 2 and 20 mrems per hour from its face, and less than 2 mrem/hour from the back. The steel in the watch back is very effective at stopping beta radiation, so the majority of the particles emitted from the back are gamma rays.
A typical radium dial wristwatch generates somewhere between 1 and 5 mrem/hour from its face, while a typical radium dial pocketwatch measures anywhere from 5 to 40mrems from its face; the larger amounts of radiation correspond to the larger numbers and hands. These numbers vary so greatly because the amount of radium used in the paint wasn't standardized at all, as each paint manufacturer had their own "secret formula" in an attempt to maximize the lifetime of the paint."1
"Depleted uranium is a highly toxic and radioactive byproduct of the uranium enrichment process needed in nuclear reactors and the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Natural uranium, with a half-life of 4.5 billion years, is comprised of three isotopes: 99.27% U238, 0.72% U235, and .0057% U234. DU is uranium with the U235 isotope-the fissionable material-reduced from 0.7% to 0.2%-thus, "depleted." (3) The Pentagon says DU is relatively harmless, emitting "only" 60% the radiation of nondepleted uranium. But Dr. Ernest Sternglass, Jay Gould, and Benjamin Goldman have shown that even low-level radiation emitted during the "normal" functioning of nuclear power plants creates havoc with people's immune system as well as the surrounding environment. (4) And, according to independent scientists, "a DU antitank round outside its metal casing can emit as much radiation in one hour as 50 chest X-rays." (5) A tank driver receives a radiation dose of 0.13 rem/hr to his or her head from overhead DU armor (6) which may seem like a very low dose. However, after 32 continuous days, or 64 12-hour days, the amount of radiation a tank driver receives to his head will exceed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual standard for public whole-body exposure to man-made sources of radiation. (7) Unfortunately, US tank crews were not monitored for radiation exposure during the Gulf War. (8) "2
sources
1
http://www.uglx.org/radwatch2
http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/faq_17apr.htm