
While some household products comprised trace amounts of radium and were somewhat safe for consumption, others contained hazardous levels of radium. From 1920 to the 1950s, a broad range of products (pills, pads, toothpaste, watches, lipstick, etc.) contained radium. Radium Was Commonly Used as an Additive in Consumer Productsīefore people realized how harmful radium could be, it was widely used as an additive in various consumer products. This was after painters ingested large amounts of radium as they tried to sharpen their brushes by licking them. However, scientists soon realized that radium could cause severe health issues. From 1920 to 1950, radium bromide (consisting of Ra-226 and Ra-228 isotopes) was commonly used in luminous paints.

Self-luminous paint is a type of radioluminescent paint that contains a small amount of radioactive isotope combined with radioluminescent phosphor. Radium Was Widely Used for the Production of Self-Luminous Paints While radium was widely used in the early 20th century, it now has much fewer uses due to being highly radioactive. The metal is characterized by a soft, shiny, and silvery white appearance. Radium is a radioactive alkaline-earth metal from Group 2 and Period 7 of the periodic table. So, the importance of radium is influenced by its characteristics. What makes elements from the periodic table so important? It is their physical and chemical properties. Radium Is a Radioactive Alkaline-Earth Metal Here are ten reasons why radium is so important: #1. While the usage of radium has been minimized during the last couple of decades, it is still considered an essential metal. Although radium is no longer that popular, it was so rare and demand was so high in the early 20th century that one gram of radium cost around $100K. Radium is one of the metals on the periodic table with a silvery white appearance.

As each element features unique physical and chemical characteristics, elements from the periodic table are used for different purposes. Chemical elements make up various organic and inorganic molecules that are essential to all living organisms.
