What is Radium?
Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that is found in small amounts in the environment. It is formed when uranium and thorium, two other radioactive substances, break down over time. This process is known as radioactive decay. Radium can be found in very low levels in places like soil, water, rocks, and even in plants and food. For example, there might be only one picogram (a trillionth of a gram) of radium in a gram of soil or rock. While the levels of radium in nature are very small, it still poses potential health risks because of the radiation it releases as it decays.
The process of radium's decay involves it breaking into two parts: radiation and a daughter element. As radium decays, it releases different types of radiation, including alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Alpha particles can only travel short distances and can't penetrate your skin, while beta particles can go through the skin but not the whole body. Gamma radiation, however, is much more dangerous because it can pass through the entire body. Radium has several isotopes, each with a different decay rate. For instance, radium-226 has a half-life of about 1,600 years, meaning it takes that long for half of the radium to decay. Because of this long half-life, radium remains radioactive for a very long time, which is a concern for health and safety.
Why is Radium Dangerous?
High levels of radium exposure can be deadly because of the harmful effects it has on the body, especially due to the gamma radiation it emits. Gamma radiation is very dangerous because it can travel long distances through the air and penetrate deep into the body. When a person is exposed to high levels of radium for a long time, the gamma radiation can damage tissues and organs, leading to serious health problems. Over time, this radiation can cause conditions like anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, and, most dangerously, cancer, particularly bone cancer.
These health problems may take years to show up because radiation exposure doesn’t always cause immediate symptoms. However, over time, the continuous damage from the radiation builds up, leading to severe illnesses. Since radium can be found at hazardous waste sites, just being near it for extended periods, especially in areas with high levels of radium, can put people at risk. The long-term effects of exposure to gamma radiation make radium a dangerous substance, and this is why it is important to control and monitor exposure to it.
Sources
Radium. (n.d.). NRC Web. https://www.nrc.gov/materials/types/radium.html
Radium | Public Health Statement | ATSDR. (n.d.). https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=789&toxid=154