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Radium

Radium is a soft, silvery element, the last of the alkaline earth metals. Found naturally in uranium ores, radium is over a million times more radioactive than the same mass of uranium. Given its radioactive nature, this element is fairly abundant. In certain locations, it is estimated that one gram of radium is found per square kilometre of soil to a depth of 40 centimetres.

Since its discovery at the end of the nineteenth century, radium's "glowing" characteristic has made its mark industrially. In the past, it was frequently used in the production of self-luminous paints and fluorescent ink. Both products were made from a mixture of radium and a phosphorus-like compound. Alpha particles, fast moving helium-like particles, emitted from radium produced the luminescence.

Belonging to the same group as calcium, the chemical properties of radium are comparable. Like calcium, radium accumulates in bone tissue, but has an adverse effect as it disrupts the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. In extreme cases, continuous inhalation, injection, or body exposure to radium can lead to cancer and other disorders.

In the first half of the century, radium was employed in the treatment of cancer by using radium needles to insert the radioactive source into the body. Due to the associated hazards, it has since been replaced by cobalt-60, and standards are maintained by the National Research Council Canada (NRC). Currently, the combination of radium and beryllium is being used to produce small neutron sources. These sources serve as a calibrator for neutron survey meters at the NRC Institute for National Measurement Standards.