I understand that, and I have geiger counters that can detect the beta from tritium dials. I also know exactly what they look like, and I can assure you my '69 M35A2 has none in it."Perhaps, but we haven't yet determined that radium was used on any of the gauges. My '69 is both glow, and radium free. It has no measurable gamma or beta emissions. It has none of the apparatus needed to have tritium dials... "
Early Tritium wasn't in any apparatus- it was tritiated solvent mixed with phosphorescent paint to glow so it would not have the vial--type apparatus of night sights or modern watches. It is hard to distinguish from normal whitish-green paint.
You can't detect tritium easily with a normal geiger counter, the low energy 18 keV beta particles from it aren't strong enought to go through the walls of a geiger counter gas wall detector or the gauge glass window.
I suspect, IF anything is radioactive, its likely with tritium. I think these trucks are too new for radium. I'm certain older vehicles likely had some radium, but I doubt into the 1970s it was continued. I could be wrong though.
Tritium paint is easy to tell over white paint. It is thick, and builds up off of the dial surface. It is also yellowish green in color. After 10/15 years, it won't glow very brightly anymore. After 20/30 years, it is too dim to see even in the darkest room.
Radium dials were not made past 1968. Some promethium dials were made from 1968 through 1980. Tritium became popular, but like promethium, it is very short lived.
-Chuck