Radiation Testing Officially Implemented At Silver Botanicals

Austin, Texas June 23, 2014 - Silver Botanicals is pleased to announce, since March 2014, they have verified, in-house, that all ingredients used in their formulations are free of radioactive contamination. i.e. free of elements that radiate alpha, beta or gamma particles. Arising from concerns over the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, Silver Botanicals set out to verify that all of the ingredients on their shelf and all the ingredients they receive are free of radioactive contamination. Each lot of Silver Botanicals' ingredients are measured with a geiger counter and verified to be within an expected range.

Look for the Badge

Commencing March 2014, Silver Botanicals has been measuring all of their ingredients for aberrant levels of radiation. We're pleased to report that at this time, all of our ingredients have passed the above test. Form following, a product badge has been developed to indicate the "Radiation Passed" status of our products. It will soon appear on all our labels.

Equipment Used

1. Geiger counter (Images Scientific GCA-07)
2. Radioactive control sample - a sample of uranium ore, encased in a polymeric housing, producing a consistent level of radiation.
3. Background radiation control sample - a sample of distilled water in an aluminum container used to establish and check normal background radiation in the environment.

Actual Tests Performed

1. The geiger counter is calibrated by the manufacturer and issued a "certificate of calibration" traceable to an IAEA or NIST standard.
2. The geiger counter is configured to measure radiation in our radiation measurement setup. Measurements of background radiation, using our background radiation control sample, are made over several days to establish normal background radiation levels at our location. Levels are checked against publish background levels to verify results are within expected ranges.
3. Measurements of the radioactive control sample are made over several days with the configuration of the setup tightly controlled. The statistical distribution of readings are used to establish an expected response range for the control sample.
4. Prior to checking incoming ingredients, the geiger counter measures the background radiation, using the background radiation control sample, over a 60 second period. Readings must be below our maximum allowable background radiation level determined in step#2.
5. The sensitivity of the instrument is then verified by measuring the control sample. Measurements must be within establish limits determined in step#3.
6. The to-be-tested ingredient is opened and placed within the sample area of the setup.
7. Radiation measurements are made over a 60 second period to determine radiation levels associated with the ingredient.
8. The results are compared to the background radiation standard and determined to be either aberrantly high or with normal levels (pass or fail).
9. The test subject ingredient is then labeled with a "passed" sticker, or disposed of if shown to have aberrantly high radioactivity levels.

Geiger Counter Sensitivity Check: To start, we verify the sensitivity of our geiger counter equipment by measuring a radioactive sample.

Uranium Ore (Radioactive Check Standard): We verify the sensitivity of our geiger counter by using a known radioactive sample. In this case, a chunk of uranium ore, known to produce 990 counts per minute (CPM).

Measurement Taken of Check Standard: We measure the radioactive sample for 60 seconds to verify that our equipment is measuring within the specification range for the check standard.

Check Standard Measurement Obtained: Here we see our reading (114 uR/hr) is within the expected specification range (66 uR/hr - 120 uR/hr). The sensitivity of our equipment is now verified and we can begin to test our ingredients. Close

Radiation Measurement Control Limits: Here posted, we have the specification range for our maximum background radiation levels (a value obtained from measuring the surrounding environment for many days) and our radioactive check standard.

Test Setup for Our Ingredients: We open up the subject ingredient (Frankincense from it's native country, Egypt), place it on the table and point the detector element directly into the bottle.

Testing the Ingredient: We measure our subject ingredient for 60 seconds.

Ingredient's Radioactivity Measurement Obtained: Our reading indicates that this lot of Frankincense passes the test, with a reading of 8.3 uR/hr - a nice low measurement.

Ingedient Gets a Pass Sticker: Upon passing the test, the ingredient lot is marked and then moves on to become apart of Silver Botanicals' products.

Geiger Counter Sensitivity Check: To start, we verify the sensitivity of our geiger counter equipment by measuring a radioactive sample.

Uranium Ore (Radioactive Check Standard): We verify the sensitivity of our geiger counter by using a known radioactive sample. In this case, a chunk of uranium ore, known to produce 990 counts per minute (CPM).

Measurement Taken of Check Standard: We measure the radioactive sample for 60 seconds to verify that our equipment is measuring within the specification range for the check standard.

Check Standard Measurement Obtained: Here we see our reading (114 uR/hr) is within the expected specification range (66 uR/hr - 120 uR/hr). The sensitivity of our equipment is now verified and we can begin to test our ingredients. Close

Radiation Measurement Control Limits: Here posted, we have the specification range for our maximum background radiation levels (a value obtained from measuring the surrounding environment for many days) and our radioactive check standard.

Test Setup for Our Ingredients: We open up the subject ingredient (Frankincense from it's native country, Egypt), place it on the table and point the detector element directly into the bottle.

Testing the Ingredient: We measure our subject ingredient for 60 seconds.

Ingredient's Radioactivity Measurement Obtained: Our reading indicates that this lot of Frankincense passes the test, with a reading of 8.3 uR/hr - a nice low measurement.

Ingedient Gets a Pass Sticker: Upon passing the test, the ingredient lot is marked and then moves on to become apart of Silver Botanicals' products.

Control Limits for Radiation Testing

The established Radiation Control Limits for our testing purposes are as follows:

Maximum Background Radiation Limit: 25.4 uR/hr
Control Standard Radiation Range: 66.0 - 120.1 uR/hr