Radium occurrence

The natural occurrence of the group-IIA elements ranges from common to rare e.g., Ca is 5th in the order of atomic abundance of the elements in the earth s crust. Mg is 7th, Ba and Sr are 21st and 22nd, respectively, and Be is 32nd . Radium is of extremely limited availability. It does occur naturally, although it has neither stable nor long-lived radioaetive isotopes it is found in association with U, since ll/2... 

Kraemer T, Reid D (1984) The occurrence and behavior of radium in saline formation water of the US gulf coast region. Isot Geosci 2 153-174... 

Occurrence. Radium is found naturally in uranium ores such as pitchblende (mostly U02). One tonne of pitchblende might yield about 0.15 g of radium. 

The initial exploration and subsequent drilling in the Windsor area was sparked by the discovery of radon anomalies in the soil gas and well waters in the area (Quarch et al. 1981 Fig. 2). In addition, uranium and radium in well waters were weakly anomalous in the area. It is therefore not difficult to infer that these geochemical techniques are useful exploration tools for deposits of this type and that there are environmental Issues related to uranium occurrences in the Horton Group. 

There is a characteristic temporal pattern in the occurrence of radiation-induced tumors following irra ation, a pattern that may be segmented into a latency period during which no excess is expressed, a period marked by a rise to a peak or a plateau that may be sustained, and a period of subsidence that may be absent. Only for leukemia and for bone cancer following uptake of radium-224 is this pattern well delineated a latency period of 2 to 4 years, a peaking at perhaps 6 to 8 years, and subsidence to near zero about 30 years after exposure. For other radiogenic cancers, the minimal latent period is less well defined and is generally taken to be 10 to 15 years. 

On a global level, the amount of radium released to the environment or disposed of through industrial use is considered to be insignificant compared to the natural occurrence of radium in the environment. Radium is present in the wastes of uranium mining and refining processes, and disposal of these wastes is regulated. 

A survey on the occurrence of radium-228 in municipal water supplies in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin indicated that the activity of this isotope may range from 0.3 to 32.0 pCi/L (11.1 to 1,180 mBq/L) (Lucas 1985), while Michel and Cothern (1986) reported that typical concentrations are less than 1 pCi/L (37 mBq/L). 

There are few data on the occurrence of radium-224 in water. It has been speculated that the activity of this isotope could approach 30 to 40 pCi/L (1,110 to 1,480 mBq/L) (EPA 1985a). 

No information was located on the occurrence of the other radium isotopes in soil or rocks. 

Environmental Fate. Studies of releases of radium that result from uranium mining and processing would be helpful to fully assess the total amount and environmental fate of radium released to the environment. Field data on the mobility of radium in groundwater would also be helpful in attempts to predict its potential for occurrence in sources of drinking water at remote sites. 

The occurrence of radium-228 has not been as well established, and additional data would be helpful, particularly in geologic regions where high concentrations are likely. There is virtually no information on the occurrence and levels of radium-223 and radium-224 in drinking water. The occurrence and levels of any of the isotopes of radium in food are highly variable, and additional data would facilitate exposure estimates. 

Longtin JP. 1988. Occurrence of radon, radium, and uranium in groundwater. J AWWA (July) 84-93. 

Martland H. 1931. The occurrence of malignancy in radioactive persons A general review of data gathered in the study of the radium dial painters, with special reference to the occurrence of osteogenic sarcoma and the inter-relationship of certain blood diseases. Am J Cancer 15 2435-2515. 

Schlenker RA, Keane AT, Unni KK. 1989. Comparison of radium-induced and natural bone sarcomas by histologic type, subject age and site of occurrence. Br J Radiol 21 55-62. 

MAGNESIUM, CALCIUM, STRONTIUM, BARIUM, AND RADIUM 4-6 Occurrence The Elements... 

Occurrence. — Niton in prolmhi.v present in all rod inactive minerals, but always in infinitesimal amounts, Since it disintegrates rather rapidly, it is always a transition product, in equilibrium with the. radium present.. Since this clement, is itself present in very small amounts, the quantity of nitou in any mineral must, lie exceedingly small. 

Occurrence. — Radium is widely distributed in nature, never in very concentrated form ami usually i exceedingly niiiiute quantities. The principal. source of radium until recently was the Bohemian pitchblende from which radium was first, extracted. This is still the must iin x>rt mt source of mditiin in Europe, but the camotite ores of (Joloradu now produce a considerable proportion of the world s radium supply. 

Occurrence. — Uranium is not a common element, but it is found in a number of minerals,3 most of which are rare. All uranium ores are radioactive, and the amount of uranium is an accurate, index of the radium content/ since it is found that one part nf radium is naturally in equilibrium with 3.2 X 106 parts of uranium or, in other words, an amount of ore which contains a ton of the element uranium will be found, to contain 320 milligrams of the clement radium. 

Radium. The radium source used in brachytherapy uses mostly radium sulfate or radium chloride mixed with an inert filler and loaded into cells about 1 cm long and 1 mm in diameter. These cells are made of 0.1- to 0.2- mm-thick gold foil. Radium sources are manufactured as needles or tubes in a variety of lengths and activities. Leakage of radon gas from a radium source represents a significant hazard if the source is broken. The sources are, however, doubly encapsulated to prevent such an occurrence. Cesium-137 has replaced radium, at least in the US. 

Radium. Ra at. wt 226 (mass number of most stable isotope) at. no. 88 valence 2. A radioactive alkaline earth meta], Occurrence in earth s crust approx ]0-d% by wt. Natural isotopes 223, actinium X 224, thorium X 226 228, mesothorium 1. 22 Ra is a product of disintegration of uranium and is present in al] ores contg uranium. Separated in the form of a salt by P. and M. S. Curie from the pitchblende nf Joachimsthal, Bohemia Curie et at.. Compt. Rend. 127, 12]5 (1898). [soln of the element by electrolysis of an aq soln of radium chloride Curie, Debierne. ibid. 151, 523 (1910). 12 Ra iT, 6.7 years) produced by disintegration of thorium (I12Th) discovered in 1907 by O. Hahn in monazite residues from isolating thorium. Zaire (Congo) is the main producer of radium, Canada next. Clinical evaluation in... 

BERYLLIUM AND THE GROUP II elements Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra 215 MAGNESIUM, CALCIUM, STRONTIUM, BARIUM AND RADIUM 7-8. Occurrence the Elements... 

It is well known that the risk of acquiring many diseases is directly related to occupation. Some examples of disease hazards related to occupation include the development of bone cancers among workers who applied radium paint to watch dials and hands, the occurrence of lead poisoning in battery workers, bladder cancers in aniline dye workers and lung cancers in miners of radioactive ores. 

Because radon is a gas, its occurrence in soil is most appropriately referred to as its occurrence in "soil-gas," which is in the gas or water-filled space between individual particles of soil. Factors that affect radon soil-gas levels include radium content and distribution, soil porosity, moisture, and density. However, soil as a source of radon is seldom characterized by radon levels in soil-gas, but is usually characterized directly by emanation measurements or indirectly by measurements of members of the uranium-238 series (National Research Council 1981). Radon content is not a direct function of the radium concentration of the soil, but radium concentration is an important indicator of the potential for radon production in soils and bedrock. However, Michel (1987) states that average radium content cannot be used to estimate radon soil-gas levels, primarily due to differences in soil porosity. 

Martland, H. S. The Occurrence of Malignancy in Radioactive Persons (Luminous-Radium Dial Painters). mericow7ouma/of Canceri (1931) 24-35. 

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