Tritium exit signs that are illegally put in ordinary landfills can break and contaminate the site. Unwanted tritium exit signs may not be put into ordinary trash they require special disposal. Tritium must be inhaled or ingested in large amounts to pose a significant health risk.

In other buildings, you can report the problem to a security guard. At school, you should report the damaged sign to a teacher, janitor or someone in the main office. Leave the area immediately and call for help.

If a tritium exit sign is broken, never tamper with it. Internal contamination occurs when people swallow or breathe in radioactive materials, or when radioactive materials enter the body through an open wound or are absorbed through the skin. Beta particles are most harmful when inhaled or swallowed. Beta particles can be stopped by a layer of clothing or by a thin layer of aluminum. If a tritium exit sign is damaged, the tritium could be released. Damage to tritium exit signs is most likely to occur when a sign is dropped during installation or smashed in the demolition of a building. No radiation is emitted from a working, unbroken, tritium exit sign. Additionally, tritium exit signs do not require a cord or additional power source, so they can be mounted in locations where traditional power sources do not exist.

This means that tritium exit signs will remain lit if the power goes out. Tritium exit signs are useful because they do not require a traditional power source such as batteries or hardwired electricity. Tritium exit signs are marked with a permanent warning label. When mixed with certain chemicals, tritium becomes a continuous, self-powered light source. Tritium exit signs glow in the dark, even when the power is out.

Self luminous tritium exit signs