![]() ![]() Radium was initially considered a cure-all for a variety of health conditions, including arthritis, tuberculosis, rheumatism, gout, and high blood pressure. Before it could be properly studied, this initial use led to an explosion of interest from the American public and a host of false medical claims that radium was “healthful rather than medicinal.” Soon after the Curies discovered radium, medical professionals began using the radioactive substance as a cancer treatment. Radium was discovered by Marie Sklodowska Curie and her husband Pierre Curie in 1898, although it would be more than a decade before the pair had isolated a sample large enough to work with. ![]() It can also form other elements, such as radon. This radiation excites certain fluorescent chemicals in the metal and results in radioluminescence. There are four radium isotopes, all of which are radioactive and have drastically different half-lives.Īs radium decays it releases ionizing radiation in the form of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. In the environment, radium is present at low levels in groundwater, soil, rocks, and plants. Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive metal formed when uranium and thorium decay. It brought to light the dangers of working with radium and created a universal understanding of the need for occupational and radiation safety measures. The plight of the Radium Girls in the 1920s would teach us a great deal about the radioactive element radium and its effect on the human body. ![]()
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