Amulets and pendants claiming to provide beneficial effects of radiation

Around the world, online suppliers use terms like "negative ion energy", "energy bio pendants" or even "quantum scalar energy" to market amulets and similar products that, in some cases, may also contain materials with a low level of radioactivity. Although the suppliers promise a wide range of positive health effects, there is no scientific evidence whatsoever of any benefits to health.

Pendant analysed by the BfS

By way of example, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has analysed one such pendant. The dark-grey amulet is made of a fine-grained, probably compression-moulded, very strong material with a low level of radioactivity.

May contain monazite sand

The material of the analysed pendant contains traces of naturally occurring radionuclides from the thorium series (among others Th-232 and Th-228) as well as a small quantity of natural uranium (U-238). According to some of the manufacturer information, this is supposed to be a material of volcanic origin or suchlike. These products have presumably been made using minerals with a low level of radioactivity, such as those found naturally in monazite sand worldwide.

No immediate, significant risk to health

The material from which the pendant is made is wear-resistant and not readily soluble. The local dose rate at the surface is approx. 160 nSv/h (nanosieverts per hour). If the pendant was worn directly on the skin at all times, it would result in a low skin dose below the permissible limit value. Given the relatively low dose rate, this pendant and similar products therefore do not imply an immediate, significant risk to health.

Risk not offset by a proven benefit

There is no scientific evidence that the products have health benefits. The scientific-sounding names used for such products come from marketing and are without scientific basis.

Wearing such pendants on the skin at all times would therefore cause an additional, unnecessary local skin dose for users. Radiation protection always operates according to the principle that any radiation dose – no matter how weak – is to be minimised as far as possible or avoided altogether if it is not associated with a proven benefit. Radiation exposure that is not associated with any benefits is fundamentally unjustified.

Buyers can usually send these products back to the manufacturer or shipper. Alternatively, if this is no longer possible, they can dispose of them in the normal household waste.