Specifications: Radium Radium is a radioactive chemical element which has the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. Its appearance is almost pure white, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, turning black. Radium is an alkaline earth metal that is found in trace amounts in uranium ores. It is extremely radioactive. Its most stable isotope, 226Ra, has a half-life of 1602 years and decays into radon gas.
What is radium?
Radium is a naturally occurring silvery-white radioactive metal that can exist in several forms called isotopes. Radium is formed when uranium and thorium break down in the environment. Uranium and thorium are found in small amounts in most rocks and soil. Two of the main radium isotopes found in the environment are radium-226 and radium-228.
Radium undergoes radioactive decay. It divides into two parts-one part is called radiation and the other part is called a daughter. The daughter, like radium, is not stable, and it also divides into radiation and another daughter. The dividing of daughters continues until a stable, nonradioactive daughter is formed. During the decay process, alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are released. Alpha particles can travel only a short distance and cannot travel through your skin. Beta particles can penetrate through your skin, but they cannot go all the way through your body. Gamma radiation can go all the way through your body.
Radium has been used as a radiation source for treating cancer, in radiography of metals, and combined with other metals as a neutron source for research and radiation instrument calibration. Until the 1960s, radium was a component of the luminous paints used for watch and clock dials, intrument panels in airplanes, military instruments, and compasses.
What happens to radium when it enters the environment?
* Radium is constantly being produced by the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium.
* Radium is present at very low levels in rocks and soil and may strongly attach to those materials.
* Radium may also be found in air.
* High concentrations are found in water in some areas of the country.
* Uranium mining results in higher levels of radium in water near uranium mines.
* Radium in the soil may be absorbed by plants.
* It may concentrate in fish and other aquatic organisms.
How might I be exposed to radium?
* Everyone is exposed to low levels of radium in the air, water, and food.
* Higher levels may be found in the air near industries that burn coal or other fuels.
* It may be found at higher levels in drinking water from wells.
* Miners, particularly miners of uranium and hard rock, are exposed to higher levels of radium.
* It may also be found at radioactive waste disposal sites.
How likely is radium to cause cancer?
Exposure to high levels of radium results in an increased incidence of bone, liver, and breast cancer. The EPA and the National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, has stated that radium is a known human carcinogen.
Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to radium?
Urine tests can determine if you have been exposed to radium. Another test measures the amount of radon (a breakdown product of radium) in exhaled air. Both types of tests require special equipment and cannot be done in a doctor's office. These tests cannot tell how much radium you were exposed to, nor can they be used to predict whether you will develop harmful health effects.
