7440-14-4

Brilliant-white solid. Luminescent, turns black on exposure to air. Soluble in water with evolution of hydrogen; forms water-soluble compounds. Decays by emis- sion of α-, β-, and γ-radiation. Bone-seeking when taken into the body.

Highly toxic, emits ionizing radiation. Lead shielding should be used in storage and handling, adequate protective clothing and remote control devices are essential. Destructive to living tissue.

Radium is not available as a pure metal but is found in very small quantities in uranium and thorium ores. Uranium and thorium are found in small amounts in most rocks and soil; radium is formed when these elements break down in the environment. One ton of uranium ore yields only slightly more than 0.1 gm of radium. Radium is formed from the radioactive decay; and, as a by-product of refining these ores. Radium exists in several isotope forms. Two of the principal radium isotopes found in the environment are 226 Ra (radium-226) and 228 Ra (radium-228). Radium compounds, due to their geologically short half-life and intense radioactivity, are quite rare. A single gram of 226 Ra produces 10 24 mm of radon (Rn) a day. Radium’s- 226, radium’s most stable isotope has a half-life of about 1603 to 1620 years, and remains in the body for life. Radium, when used to produce radon gas, is used for treating various types of cancer; in radiography of metals; and combined with other metals, such as beryllium, as a neutron emitting source used in research and for cali- brating radiation instruments. Until the 1960s, radium was a component in self-luminous paints used for watch, com- pass, and aircraft instrument dials and other aircraft and military instrumentation. A less dangerous radioactive source, 60 Co (cobalt-60), replaced radium in luminous paint. The greatest health risk from radium comes from exposure to its radioactive decay product, radon (Rn). Radon is common in many soils and can collect in build- ings, including homes.

Unless you are dressed in appropriate protective gear to prevent self-contaminating, do not provide medical attention. Evacuate the victim from area of exposure to a safe area as soon as possible. To stop ongoing contamina- tion, have the victim remove clothing, if possible, and place clothing in a sealed garbage bag or container. Check the victim’s breathing and pulse; start CPR, if necessary. Skin: If skin contamination has occurred, measure levels of contamination with a survey meter, record results, and begin decontamination by gentle washing with plenty of water (warm if possible) and nonabrasive and disinfecting soap, washing downwards towards extremities, not upwards. Dry body and cover the irritated skin with an emollient. If burns are obvious, do not use ointments. Wrap victim in a clean, soft blanket. Seek immediate medical attention; evacuate the victim to nearest emergency medical facility. Eyes: Check for and remove any contact lenses. Immediately flush eyes with cold water, Avoid the use of an eye ointment. Seek immediate medical attention; evacu- ate the victim to nearest emergency medical facility. Inhalation: Allow the victim to rest in a well-ventilated area. If breathing is difficult, administer oxygen. Seek immediate medical attention; evacuate the victim to nearest emergency medical facility. Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt Seek immediate medical attention; evacuate the victim to nearest emergency medical facility.

UN3323(does not appear in the 49CFR hazard materials tables ) Radioactive material, Type C package, nonfissile or fissile excepted. UN2915 Radioactive mate- rial, Type A package nonspecial form, nonfissile or fissile- excepted, Hazard class: 7-Radioactive material; Labels: None. A1 and A2 values for Radium- 226 taken from y173.435 (see also Table A-1 in 10CFR71(Appendix A): A1 (SpecialForm * ) 0.3 TBq (8.11Ci); A2 (NormalForm) 0.02TBq (0.541Ci))

Metallic radium is highly chemically reactive. It forms compounds that are very similar to barium compounds, making separation of the two elements difficult. On contact with water, radium forms flammable hydrogen gas.

Radium has the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. Its atomic weight is 226.0254 g/mol. Radium is an alkaline earth metal that is found in trace amounts in uranium ores. Its most stable isotope, 226Ra, has a half-life of 1602 years and decays into radon gas.
The heaviest of the alkaline earth elements, radium is intensely radioactive and resembles barium in its chemical behavior. This metal is found in tiny quantities in the uranium ore “Pitchblende”, and various other uranium minerals. Radium preparations are remarkable for maintaining themselves at a higher temperature than their surroundings, and for their radiations, which are of three kinds: alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays.
When freshly prepared, pure radium metal is almost pure white, but blackens when exposed to air (probably due to nitride formation). Radium is luminescent when struck by electromagnetic radiation of the proper wavelength (giving a faint blue color). It reacts violently with water to form radium hydroxide and is slightly more volatile than barium. The normal phase of radium is a solid. Since all the isotopes of radium are radioactive and short-lived on the geological time scale, any primeval radium would have disappeared long ago. Therefore, radium occurs naturally only as a disintegration product in the three natural radioactive decay series (Thorium, Uranium, and Actinium series). Radium-226 is a member of the uranium decay series. Its parent is Thorium-230 and its daughter Radon-222. Radium is a decay product of uranium and is therefore found in all uranium-bearing ores. (One ton of Pitchblende yields one seventh of a gram of radium). Radium was originally acquired from pitchblende ore from the Czech Republic. Carnotite (K2(UO2)2(VO4)2·3H2O) sands in Colorado provide some of the element, but richer ores are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes area of Canada. Radium can also be extracted from uranium processing waste.

Radioactive material consid- ered waste and must be retained in containers for disposi- tion by the authorizing institution. Drain disposal is prohibited. It is the responsibility of the operating institu- tion to arrange for the proper disposal of all forms of any radioisotopes. The use, storage, transportation, labeling, and disposal of radioactive material are regulated through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) using 10 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) as the regulatory basis and 49 CFR (Transportation).

Radium is the last element in group 2 and is very similar to the other alkali earth metals,which makes it the largest and heaviest element in the group. It particularly resembles barium,which is just above it in group 2 of the periodic table. Radium is a bright white radioactiveluminescent alkali earth metal that turns black when exposed to air. Its melting point is700°C, its boiling point is 1,140°C, and its density is approximately 5.0 g/cm³.

Radium (Ra) has no stable isotopes. A standard atomic mass cannot be given (but is usually given as 226.0 g/mol). The longest lived, and most common, isotope of radium is ²²⁶Ra that occurs in the disintegration chain of ²³⁸U (often referred to as the radiumseries). Radium (Ra) has 33 different known isotopes, four of which are found in nature, with ²²⁶Ra being the most common. ²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra are all generated naturally in the decay of either Uranium (U) or Thorium (Th). ²²⁶Ra is a product of ²³⁸U decay, and is the longestlived isotope of radium with a half-life of 1602 years. The next longest is ²²⁸Ra, a product of ²³²Th breakdown, with a half-life of 5.75 years.

There are no stable isotopes of radium. Radium has 25 known radioisotopes,ranging from Ra-206 to Ra-230. Their half-lives range from a fraction of a second tohundreds of years. Radium-226 was discovered by the Curies and has a half-life ofabout 1630 years. Ra-226 is the most abundant isotope, and thus, Ra-226 is used todetermine radium’s atomic mass.Various radium isotopes are derived through a series of radioactive decay processes. Forexample, Ra-223 is derived from the decay of actinium. Ra-228 and Ra-224 are the resultof the series of thorium decays, and Ra-226 is a result of the decay of the uranium series.

Radium’s name is derived from the Latin word radius, which means “ray.

Radium is the 85th most abundant element found in the Earth’s crust. Radium is found inthe uranium ores pitchblende and chalcolite, which are both very radioactive. Radium metalexists to the extent of only one part to every three million parts of the uranium ore (pitchblende). Only about one gram of radium is found in every seven or eight tons of uraniumore. This scarcity seems to be the reason that only about five pounds of uranium are producedeach year in the entire world. Uranium ores are found in the states of Utah, New Mexico, andColorado in the United States and in Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Zaire,and France.

Radium is extremely radioactive. It glows in the dark with a faint bluish light. Radium’sradioisotopes undergo a series of four decay processes; each decay process ends with a stableisotope of lead. Radium-223 decays to Pb-207; radium-224 and radium-228decay to Pb-208;radium-226 decays to Pb-206; and radium-225 decays to Pb-209. During the decay processesthree types of radiation—alpha (α), beta (β), and gamma (γ)—are emitted.In addition to being radioactive, radium is extremely chemically reactive and forms manycompounds. These radium compounds are not only radioactive but also toxic and should behandled by experienced personnel.

The U.S. EPA has classified radium as a class A carcinogen, meaning that there are sufficient data to support a link between exposure to radium and the development of human cancer. The α-particle radiation associated with radium is recognized as the causative agent for sarcomas of the bone and carcinomas of the paranasal sinuses in humans. A study attempting to ascertain the dose–incidence relationship for induction of these tumors examined 1474 women employed in the U.S. radium dial painting industry before 1930. This population exhibited 61 known cases of bone sarcoma and 21 cases of carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses or the mastoid air cells. Of these individuals, the radium body burden was known for 759, among whom there were 38 cases of bone sarcoma and 17 head carcinomas.

Radium is released to the environment from a variety of sources, including milling and mining operations focused on phosphates and uranium, waste streams from factories used to produce products containing radium, or waste byproducts from production, such as phosphate fertilizers. The most important route of radium release into the environment is the combustion of coal, and released radium is estimated at 150 Ci per year (or 5.55×10¹² Bq). Radium released into the atmosphere will remain in particulate form until wet or dry deposition. Radium adsorbs to soils, and is not expected to volatize from soils or water due to its ionic nature. In water, radium exists as Ra⁺² and can interact with sediments and dissolve in water, and therefore generally adsorbs to sediments at the emission site and is not transported. Some isotopes of radium are very short lived, but radium-226 has a half-life of 1600 years, making long-range transport more likely, though generally only through an atmospheric route. Radium’s ionic nature makes bioaccumulation or biomagnification unlikely.

Store in a ventilated area to prevent accumulationof radon (Rn).

The radioactive properties of radium are the greatest concern and overwhelm all others. All radioactive materials may cause harm when decay particles are released; they disrupt many critical cell functions, includingDNA replication. Radioactive materials may also produce toxicity not related to their radioactive behavior. Like barium compounds, radium enters teeth and bones, altering growth and causing them to be weak and brittle.