Radium is a silvery-white radioactive metal discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. It is the heaviest recognized alkaline earth metal and the second heaviest of all known radionuclides. Although radium is, in itself, very rare in the Earths crust, it is found in the form of ores such as uraninite and carnotite. Radium has a half-life of 1622 years and it emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. The most common isotope is radium-226, which has a half-life of 1622 years and emits alpha particles. Radium is found primarily in uranium-bearing minerals such as uraninite and carnotite.
Radium has many applications. It is most famously used in medical treatments, like radiation therapy, where radium is used to treat cancerous tumors. It is also used to make luminescent paints for watches, clocks, aircraft instrument panels and ship instrumentation. Radium is used in telecommunications, to make glow-in-the-dark signs and self-luminous paints on watch and clock faces. It can also be used in radiotherapy to destroy cancer cells.
In addition to its medical and industrial applications, radium has also been used in research and in seismic exploration. It can be used to measure the porosity of rocks, the density of the Earths crust, and the temperature profile of the atmosphere.
Radium is a highly radioactive element, with a half-life of 1622 years and the potential to cause serious health risk. Its gamma radiation can damage living tissue, and its beta radiation is known to cause cancer. It is for this reason that radium is highly regulated. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency requires that individuals involved in radium production, handling, or disposal be made aware of the potential safety and health risks.
Although radium has many applications, it can present health hazards which make its use limited and highly regulated. Therefore, safety and caution must be exercised when handling and working with this radioactive element.
