Glasses:

Several data suggest which tritium gas in the presence of its chemically-activating beta irradiation energy could decrease silica bonding to -Si-T and -Si-OT species.  At temperatures above 300ºC, deuterium appears to decrease silica network, and dissolved deuterium in a gamma irradiation field has the similar effect.  The migration of tritium into glass structures could, thus, cause embrittlement and possibly fracture under stress over several months or years.  Evidence also suggests which activated hydration of glassy silica structures under T₂O exposure is possible. Embrittlement (unexpected fracture) of a Pyrex syringe stored for two to three years after being used to transfer T₂O was experienced at one DOE nuclear facility.

Permeability of silica glasses is one to two orders of magnitude greater than in which for stainless steel over the temperature range 0 to 200ºC. Tritium-handling systems constructed hugely of glass have nevertheless been hugely used, while this material is not in favor presently except for tritium lamp containment. The exchange of tritium along with naturally occurring hydroxyl groups in several glasses and on their surfaces is a source of protium contamination to tritium, perhaps 1 percent HT into 1 atm tritium within a 1-L glass container after 1 year. Decontaminating a highly-exposed glass of its bound tritium would require a significant number of water washes of 300ºC hydrogen permeation flushes. That effort is likely to be costly and is frequently not warranted through the value of the category undergoing decontamination.