Buzz
Marie Curie and her husband Pierre identified radium in 1898. By 1903, the Royal Academy of Sciences granted Marie, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel the Nobel Prize in Physics, making Marie the first female recipient. In 1911, she secured her second Nobel Prize for isolating radium, discovering polonium, and pioneering research on radioactivity, a term she introduced.
By 1910, synthetic radium production began in the U.S. Before the dangers of radiation were fully known, radium found its way into numerous unusual products due to its perceived healing powers and luminous appeal.
1. In Chocolate
Radium-infused food items, such as the Radium Schokolade chocolate bar by Burk & Braun and Radium Bread from Hippman-Blach bakery, made with radium water, gained popularity abroad before being discontinued in 1936.
2. In Water
Devices like the Revigator, a radium water crock, held a gallon of water in a radium-coated container. Drinking this water was believed to treat various conditions, including arthritis, impotence, and wrinkles.
3. In Toys and Nightlights
The Radiumscope, a toy available until 1942, allowed users to observe radium's effects. Highlighting radium's glowing properties, advertisements promoted it as a dual-purpose item, functioning as both a fascinating toy and an eerie nightlight that emitted a mysterious glow in the dark.
4. In Toothpaste
Dr. Alfred Curie, unrelated to Marie or Pierre, marketed toothpaste infused with radium and thorium, cleverly leveraging the Curie name for commercial gain.
5. In Cosmetics
Beyond dental products, Alfred Curie expanded his offerings to include the widely popular Tho-Radia cosmetics line, featuring creams and powders that claimed to revitalize and enhance skin radiance.
6. In Heating Pads and Suppositories
Doctors in the early 20th century enthusiastically embraced radioactive products, creating heating pads, suppositories, and even radioactive coins designed to “charge” water. These were marketed as remedies for ailments like rheumatism, fatigue, and general malaise, offering a quick and seemingly miraculous solution.
7. In the Treatment of Impotence
Before modern medications like Viagra, impotence treatments included radioactive “bougies,” wax rods inserted into the urethra, and athletic supporters lined with radium-infused fabric. Another popular option was the Radioendocrinator, a booklet containing radium-coated cards worn inside undergarments overnight. (Its inventor later died of bladder cancer in 1949.)
8. In Health Spas
Radium and radon health spas became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, offering treatments like radium mud baths, radium water rinses, and radium cream applications to leave patrons feeling rejuvenated and radiant. Radium mines and caves also served as “healing rooms” for those willing to travel. Today, a few radium spas remain operational in the U.S., Japan, and Europe.
9. In Clocks and Watches
From 1917 to 1926, the U.S. Radium Corporation hired over a hundred workers, primarily women, to apply their patented Undark luminous paint to watch and clock faces. Around 70 women were tasked with mixing the paint, which contained radium powder, glue, and water. Workers were instructed to point their brushes by licking them, and some even used the paint on their nails and teeth. While employees were unknowingly exposed to the hazardous material, company executives and scientists, aware of the risks, took precautions to avoid contact.
Five Radium Girls filed a lawsuit against U.S. Radium, a landmark case that led to the establishment of labor safety standards and workers' rights. Many employees suffered from anemia, unexplained bone fractures, bleeding gums, and jaw necrosis, though radiation-related deaths were initially misdiagnosed as syphilis. (This was likely an effort to tarnish the women's reputations, with evidence suggesting U.S. Radium paid medical investigators to suppress their findings.)
The Radium Girls' case was resolved in 1928, ending the practice of pointing brushes with the mouth and using open containers of radium paint. Although radium continued to be used in clocks until the 1960s, new cases of radiation sickness among dial painters ceased. The decline in radium's popularity soon followed, and the former U.S. Radium plant is now designated as a Superfund site.
