Radium Was a Miracle Product, Until it Started Killing People

[Radium toothpaste, radium butter, radium cosmetics… ] Considering what we now know about the dangers of radiation, these products seem preposterous. But they were real. In the early 20th century, the harmful effects of radiation exposure weren’t fully known until a group of women in New Jersey paid a fatal price for us to find out. So what is radium anyway? Well, radium is a chemical element that was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. It’s found in uranium ore and is formed when uranium and thorium break down. It’s highly radioactive, which means it gives off energy. And that radioactivity is actually useful in treating cancers. which is exactly what radium was used for after its isolation