Radium is primarily extracted as a byproduct in uranium mining, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Alpha particles emitted by the radium kills the cancerous cells.

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, radium is in the same group as calcium and is sometimes used to target bone cancer.

Radium emits alpha particles (two protons and two neutrons bonded together), beta particles (high energy electrons or positrons), and gamma rays (the most energetic wavelength of light), according to New World Encyclopedia.

Health effects from radium exposure include cancer, anemia, cataracts, and death. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, radium typically enters the body when it is breathed in or swallowed.According to Chemicool, the radium isotope that has the longest half-life is radium-226 with a half-life of 1602 years.Radium changes from a silvery white color to black when exposed to air, according to Lenntech due to oxidation.The other alkali earth metals include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium.

Radium is the heaviest alkaline earth metal, according to Encyclopedia.This makes it the 84thmost abundant element in Earth's crust according to Periodic Table. According to Chemicool, radium has an abundance in the Earth's crust about 1 part per trillion by weight.

Most common isotopes: Ra-226 (unknown percent of natural abundance), Ra-223 (unknown percent of natural abundance), Ra-224 (unknown percent of natural abundance), Ra-228 (unknown percent of natural abundance).Number of natural isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): 33.Melting point: 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit (700 degrees Celsius).Density: 3.2 ounces per cubic inch (5.5 grams per cubic cm).Atomic weight (average mass of the atom): 226.Atomic symbol (on the periodic table of elements): Ra.Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 88.There are several known isotopes of radium, but due to the rapid decay rates of many of the isotopes, it is uncertain about the natural abundances of the radium isotopes. Trace amounts of radium are found in uranium ore, because radium is created from the decay of the uranium atom, which then into several other unstable elements before finally ending in the element lead. The size and depth of the text make this a suitable title for astute older readers.Radium has an abundance of about 1 part per trillion in the Earth's crust, according to Chemicool. The author does a great job balancing the many court proceedings, reports, and individual profiles of those involved with compelling personal stories of the brave women who suffered the most. Court cases dragged on for years, plagued by bureaucracy and the powerful corporationsвЂ™ determination to cover up any responsibility they had in the girlsвЂ™ illness. Moore also explores the story of the women who worked at the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, IL. Doctors were mystified at their condition, and their employers refused to take responsibility, even discrediting the characters of the girls involved. Moore offers a heartbreaking account of the pain and suffering many of the вЂњradium girlsвЂќ experienced. This element was still relatively new, and scientists were unaware of how dangerous it was. They painted watch dials with glow-in-the-dark paint made with radium. In 1917, the same year the United States entered World War I, dozens of young women, many of them teenagers from working-class families, took up positions at the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation in Newark, NJ. Gr 7 UpвЂ“This dense, meticulously researched book covers the courageous determination of young women who unknowingly poisoned themselves while doing their job.

Radium glow in the dark