DIYbanter - View Single Post - I've just broken my CRT monitor, now I'm worried...

James Sweet

wrote:
Hi,

I've just dropped my CRT monitor while moving house. I powered it up to
see if it still worked. It made a loud electrical buzzing sound and
sparked inside at the back.

Before I dumped it in the bin I thought I'd have a peek inside to see
if I thought it was repairable. The clear glass at the very back of the
CRT had shattered, I think around the electron gun/heater - so I guess
it ain't repairable!

Since then I've read bits about lead-lined glass and x-rays, so I'm
worried.....

Could I have been exposed to anything when the glass shattered inside
the set or when I powered the thing on with the glass shattered?

Thanks.

No, you should wash your hands after handling leaded glass but to
generate xrays you need extremely high voltage and a hard vacuum, in
short, it ain't gonna happen with a modern monitor, especially not a
broken one. The Xray warnings are a holdover from the days of vacuum
tube rectifiers.