From January 2020, it will be forbidden to use Ionising Chamber Smoke Detectors in the home, the Federal Agency of Nuclear Monitoring (AFCN) announced on Tuesday.
This concerns smoke detectors operating on the basis of a radioactive source emitting small particles.
While they present little or no danger to human beings, they can still be harmful to the environment if not contained within the proper waste channels, the AFCN stated.
Their sale to private individuals has been banned since 2010 and they have a life span of approximately 10 years.
Most ionising smoke detectors are therefore now out of circulation. Anyone still in possession of a detector of this type can dispose of it free of charge at a recycling site.
Ionising detectors may be recognised by the warning symbol for ionising radiation and/or the inscription "Am-241", which signifies Americium 241, the radioactive source currently employed.
Consequently, more powerful photoelectric smoke detectors have replaced their ionising counterparts.
The Brussels Times
