Discovery of Radium 1898

Hundred years ago radium was discovered in circumstances depicted in scientific legends. Since then, radium destiny had its ups and downs: for a period of time radium was welcomed as the savior of the mankind, but nowadays radium is perceived only as a threat to the people and environment. For many years possible unfavorable effects of ionizing radiation were less known and rarely discussed. Nobody was concerned with the fact that radium sources could be harmful for thousands of years. Radium euphoria is finally declining in fifties. Since then, the use of radium is limited and the fear rises. Even in the medicine where radium was successfully used for many years and where millions were having direct benefits, radium was replaced. Other sources of radiation, enabled by the development of nuclear technology and production of new and more suitable radionuclides fully replaced radium in other uses, particularly in consumer products. It is estimated that 30,000 medical radium sources are still distributed among numerous users, most of which are in underdeveloped countries. Collecting and conditioning of those sources is important radiation protection task. Long term disposal of long-lived and alpha-emitting radium sources is still unresolved. Most of the countries adopted delayed decision as the strategy. Their intention is to keep conditioned radium sources in storage for at least next forty years. In Croatia 299 radium sources were collected in 1997. They were conditioned and were safely stored at the 'Rudjer Boskovic' Institute in Zagreb. (author)