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Yes & no. Radium is radioactive, but not terribly much so; it has a half-life of 1622 years. The average human being receives about 100 mR/year, and wearing a watch with radium in it 24/7/365 will give you an additional dose of about .008 mR/hr (70 mR/yr).
The nuclear regulatory commission has determined that Anything under 200 mR/yr is harmless, and the maximum safe annual dose is 500 mR/yr. Anything above that is considered unsafe. Bear in mind that these are extremely cautious guidelines.
The bad rep with Radium came from the "Radium Girls", which became a fantastically famous court case. These women painted radium on watch and clock dials & hands from roughly 1917-1940. They suffered severe radiation effects because of the manner in which they were painting on the radium.... they would put the brushes in their mouths to moisten them & sharpen the tips.... thereby ingesting large quantities of radium over the course of their career.
It isn't clear how well known the dangers of radium were in 1917 but no warning was given to these poor ladies.
Symbol:Ra
Atomic Number:88
Atomic Mass:226
[sources: memory, experience & other various sources. This is all easily verified with a couple of Google searches.]
What else can I help you with?
Who discovered radium and why is radium a very dangerous element?
marie curei
What effect did radium and polonium?
Polonium and radium are radioactive elements and toxic; they are dangerous.
Why radium paint consisting of zinc sulphide and trace of radium salt glow in the dark?
Non of your beeswaszk
What are some things that are made of radium?
Today radium has only limited applications in research laboratories, for example for the preparation of radon standard solutions, in neutron sources of the type Ra-Be, etc. Possible use in radiotherapy of some cancers. Radium was used in the past for luminescent painting of watches and other instruments, was used rarely in toothpaste, cosmetics, etc. These applications are not permitted now because radium is strongly radioactive and dangerous.
Is radium dangerous or explosive?
Yes. Radium is a highly radioactive alkali earth metal, and inhalation, injection, ingestion or body exposure to radium can cause chemical burns, radiation burns and can lead to cancer and other disorders. Radium is chemically similar to calcium, and it has the ability to replace calcuim in bones, which is extremely harmful. A link is provided to the Wikipedia article on radium.
Who discovered radium and why is radium a very dangerous element?
marie curei
How is radium important to the environment?
Radium is a radioactive and dangerous contaminant of soils an waters.
What effect did radium and polonium?
Polonium and radium are radioactive elements and toxic; they are dangerous.
Why radium paint consisting of zinc sulphide and trace of radium salt glow in the dark?
Non of your beeswaszk
Why was radium used in luminous paint?
Alpha particles emitted by radium produce radioluminescence is zinc sulfide.
What are some things that are made of radium?
Today radium has only limited applications in research laboratories, for example for the preparation of radon standard solutions, in neutron sources of the type Ra-Be, etc. Possible use in radiotherapy of some cancers. Radium was used in the past for luminescent painting of watches and other instruments, was used rarely in toothpaste, cosmetics, etc. These applications are not permitted now because radium is strongly radioactive and dangerous.
Why is radium no longer used in cosmetics food preservatives and paints?
Radium is a very dangerous radioactive element.
Is radium dangerous or explosive?
Yes. Radium is a highly radioactive alkali earth metal, and inhalation, injection, ingestion or body exposure to radium can cause chemical burns, radiation burns and can lead to cancer and other disorders. Radium is chemically similar to calcium, and it has the ability to replace calcuim in bones, which is extremely harmful. A link is provided to the Wikipedia article on radium.
What dangerous gas is produced when radium decays?
Radon
Do glowsticks have radium in them?
No, glowsticks do not contain radium. Glowsticks work by a chemical reaction that produces light through chemiluminescence, typically utilizing a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and a phenyl oxalate ester. Radium is a radioactive element that is not used in glowsticks for safety reasons.
What is the mass number of the radium isotope used in paint?
The atomic mass of the radium isotope 226Ra is 226,025 409 8(25).
Is radium spring dangerous because of radium?
Yes. Radium is a radioactive element that is found in small amounts in uranium ores. Radium, like all other radioactive materials, is dangerous if handled improperly. It was most famously used in luminescent paints. There was a lawsuit filed against their employers by five dying women who, uneducated about the dangers of radioactive Radium, were hired to use the paints to make the faces of glow-in-the-dark watch faces for the military. The radium in the paint seeped through their skin into their bodie and they suffered from bone cancer and anemia. Radium, once in the body, is treated as calcium and transfered to the bones where its radioactivity degrades the marrow, reducing blood production and possibly mutating bone cells.
