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Radium is a naturally-occurring silvery white radioactive metal that can exist in several forms called isotopes. It is formed when uranium and thorium (two other natural radioactive substances) decay (break down) in the environment. Radium has been found at very low levels in soil, water, rocks, coal, plants, and food.
Exposure to Radium over a period of many years may result in an increased risk of some types of cancer, particularly lung and bone cancer. Higher doses of Radium have been shown to cause effects on the blood (anemia), eyes (cataracts), teeth (broken teeth), and bones (reduced bone growth).
In nearly all of its applications, radium has been replaced with less dangerous radioisotopes, with one of its few remaining non-medical uses being the production of actinium in nuclear reactors. Bulk properties. Radium is the heaviest known alkaline earth metal and is the only radioactive member of its group.
Radium is a radioactive substance formed from the breakdown of uranium and thorium. Exposure to high levels results in an increased risk of bone, liver, and breast cancer. This chemical has been found in at least 18 of the 1,177 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This chapter contains descriptions and evaluations of studies and interpretation of data on the health effects associated with exposure to radium. Its purpose is to present levels of significant exposure for radium based on toxicological studies, epidemiological investigations, and environmental exposure data.
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.
Oct 2, 2024 · Calculate your radiation dose. Learn about radiation sources and doses. Learn more about cancer risk in the U.S. at the National Cancer Institute. Learn more about how EPA estimates cancer risk in, EPA Radiogenic Cancer Risk Models and Projections for the U.S. Population, also known as the Blue Book.
Several general sources of information exist on radium and its health effects, including portions of the reports from the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation; The Effects of Irradiation on the Skeleton by Janet Vaughan; The Radiobiology of Radium and Thorotrast, edited by W. Gössner; The Delayed Effects of ...
substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present. HIGHLIGHTS: Radium is a radioactive substance formed from the breakdown of uranium and thorium.
This information is presented to provide public health officials, physicians, toxicologists, and other interested individuals and groups with an overall perspective of the toxicology of radium and a depiction of significant exposure levels associated with various adverse health effects.
