From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. Medical researchers extended the use of radium to cure impotence in men and women by creating fertility drugs with the element to “stimulate” reproduction. Curie’s products prompted other doctors to create products with the element, including heating pads and suppositories to treat malaise, rheumatism, and body weakness. Alfred Curie (not related to the scientists) produced and sold toothpaste, body creams, and powders by duping consumers that radium strengthened teeth and prevents wrinkles. In the 1930s, toy companies used radium to illuminate toys that became popular by producing a weird glowing light in the dark. Before 1936, food manufacturers produced chocolate bars, bread, and packaged water with radium as an additive. The ability of the element to glow-in-the-dark and the belief that radioactivity was curative meant that the element was used circumstances it should not have been. Synthetic radium was produced in the United States before the adverse effects of radiation exposure were understood. After further studies, the researchers extracted one milligram of radium in 10 tons of ore, but three million times more dangerous than uranium. After eliminating uranium, the ore was equally radioactive, suggesting the presence of another radioactive element. The element was discovered by scientists Marie and Pierre Curie while studying the properties of Uranium ore in 1898.
Radium is naturally found in uranium, thorium, and uraninite ores. It is the sixth element of the alkaline Earth metals with atomic number 88 and symbol Ra. It was used in the production of several products including toothpaste and wristwatches and was thought to be curative until researchers discovered that intense radioactivity had adverse effects on health. Radium is a radioactive element that is extremely dangerous when not handled appropriately.
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