Who Are We ?

Shield Source Incorporated (SSI) located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada is licensed as a Class 1(B) Nuclear Facility and regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.  SSI manufactures self-luminous signs that are registered by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), qualified for and listed under Energy Star's strict energy efficient guidelines, follow the requirements for the National Building Code of Canada for Exit Signs as well as many of the provincial building codes, National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and Ontario Ministry of Environment codes. 

What Do We Make ?

SSI manufactures tritium gas-filled, (non-electric) self-luminous safety products.  These self-luminous products are made for national and international distribution and consist of various Emergency Egress Signs (ie EXIT, SORTIE, SALIDA, SAIDA, and the ISO international Running Man Symbol) and Pathway Markers.  These products are illuminated with a permanent internal light source consisting of a glass tube that is internally coated with phosphor.  The glass tubes are filled with tritium gas and sealed creating a gaseous tritium light source (GTLS).  The GTLS's are sealed into the finished goods.  The light producing process is similar to that of a florescent light bulb, both utilize the phosphor to create light.  In the self-luminous signs, the tritium's low level beta energy strikes the phosphor to generate the light. 

What are Self-luminous EGRESS Signs ?

SSI is a manufacturer of self-luminous egress signs and products.  The self-luminous egress signs are used internationally to show people the way to safety in an emergency situation.  Unlike many conventional egress signs, when the power goes out, SSI self-luminous signs will maintain their light output as they are continuously illuminated, not just for a few hours as battery backups allow but for the life of the sign.  To achieve a continuously illuminated product, SSI utilizes the reaction between the tritium gas and phosphor to produce light.  Self-luminous signs do not require any external power sources for the reaction to occur.  Since there is no need for electrical power, wiring, external lighting or batteries these signs are a cost effective way to meet the needs of an energy conscious consumer.  The consumer can also save money by not having to perform regular maintenance on the signs.

With no electrical parts in these signs, they are very valuable in areas where electrical signs cannot be used.   These versatile signs can be used without worry in areas such as:

-    Outdoor facilities - cold, heat and natural elements

-    Hazardous areas where electrical sparks are not permitted

-    Cold storage areas

-    Historic buildings (to eliminate the need to run wires)

-    Stages, as the signs are easily moved

-    Department stores

-    Apartment Buildings

-    Restaurants

-    Municipal Buildings

-    Manufacturing Facilities

-    Schools, Churches and Museums

Are The Products Safe ?

The signs are completely safe.  SSI signs undergo stringent testing to be able to sustain their integrity during the life of the sign.  They are manufactured with strict quality control procedures and meet all requirements of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Although tritium is a radioactive isotope, our products emit no radiation.  The gas is hermetically sealed into glass tubes. The beta emissions from the tritium gas are completely contained within the tubes.  There is absolutely no risk of radiation exposure from normal use of our product.  Great care is taken in the construction of our signs to ensure that they will stand up to extremely rough handling.

Is The Shield Source Incorporated Facility Safe ?

SSI is dedicated to operating a safe, clean work environment.  SSI has trained staff who use approved procedures and equipment to ensure the safety of the public, employees and the environment.

The manufacturing facility operations are fully controlled and regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.  Emissions from the facility are monitored continuously and a program is in place to monitor employee safety.  SSI operates an Environmental Monitoring Program to monitor the effects of our operations on the environment.  Air, water, vegetation and milk samples are taken from various locations around the vicinity of the facility.  The focus of the Environmental Monitoring Program is to measure tritium activity in air, water and food sources.

How Is The Environment Affected ?

Tritium occurs naturally in the environment as a result of cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere.  There is residual tritium in the environment from testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere in the 1950s and 1960s.  Tritium is currently produced in nuclear reactors by the fissioning of nuclear fuel and by the neutron irradiation of heavy water used in nuclear research and power reactors.  Emissions from these nuclear energy generating facilities add to the naturally- and weapons-produced tritium in the environment.  The radiation doses to Canadians from tritium in the environment, even areas close to nuclear facilities, are too low to have any observable health consequences.

Through environmental monitoring, the effects of SSI emissions on the environment is observed and as a result the exposure or dose to the general public in the immediate vicinity of the facility is calculated.

In 2003, the conservative calculated dose to the public living in the general vicinity of Shield Source Incorporated would have been sixteen times lower than the public dose limit (1 millisievert) established by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.  In 2004, the calculated dose was twenty times lower than the public dose limit.  This information is determined by the environmental monitoring program data and extremely conservative assumptions, therefore given the degree of conservatism introduced into the calculation, the actual doses received by members of the general public in the immediate vicinity of the SSI facility would be significantly lower.  The general public not located in the vicinity of the facility would see an insignificant amount of dose that is more likely due to the naturally occurring tritium in the environment.