Radium-226
Isotope of radium
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Through Half-life, Alpha decay and Cancer
Occurrence and decay
226
Ra occurs in the decay chain of uranium-238 (238
U), which is the most common naturally occurring isotope of uranium. It undergoes alpha decay to radon-222, which is also radioactive; the decay chain ultimately terminates at lead-206.
Because of its occurrence in the 238
U decay chain, 226
Ra exists naturally at low concentrations not only in uranium-containing minerals, but universally diffused in the environment (as also is uranium), as in soil and groundwater.
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Historical uses
Following its discovery by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, radium (principally 226
Ra) has had a number of uses. In the early 20th century, when the hazards of radiation were not well-known, radium was commonly used in consumer items such as toothpaste and hair creams. Radium was also formerly used as a radiation source for cancer treatment, but has since been replaced in this role by safer and more easily available alternatives. Until the 1960s, radium was used in luminous paint for watch dials and aircraft instruments.
Hazards
As a radioactive material, 226
Ra and its decay products can present serious health hazards. Factory workers who worked with radium-containing luminous paint, known as the Radium Girls, often licked the tips of their paintbrushes in order to produce a finer point. In doing so, the workers ingested some of the radioactive paint; this eventually led to serious health problems including cancer, bone damage, and anemia. Several of these workers died from illnesses caused by radium exposure.
Many rocks and soils contain low concentrations of 226
Ra, which forms from the radioactive decay of naturally occurring uranium. The decay of 226
Ra produces radon-222, a radioactive gas that can accumulate in inadequately ventilated homes and other enclosed spaces. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.