Radium seventh of a gram of radium. One kilogram of the Earth's crust contains about 900 picograms of radium, and one liter of sea water contains about 89 femtograms of radium. Radium was discovered by Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her husband Pierre Curie on 21 December 1898, in a uraninite (pitchblende) sample. While studying the mineral earlier, the Curies removed uranium from it and found that the remaining material was still radioactive. They separated out an element similar to bismuth from pitchblende in July 1898, that turned out to be polonium. They then separated out a radioactive mixture consisting mostly of two
Radium Ore Revigator with water overnight, which would be irradiated by the uranium and radium in the liner, and then consumed the next day. This was marketed as a healthy practice which could prevent illnesses including arthritis, flatulence, and senility. The Revigator contained carnotite K(UO)(VO)·3HO. Water stored overnight in a vintage Revigator was analyzed by ICP/MS and radiation detectors. Although the water contained higher levels of radon, the health risk from radiation was low. Even so, the water contained detectable levels of arsenic, lead, vanadium, and uranium. Radium Ore Revigator The Radium Ore Revigator was a pseudoscientific medical device consisting of a ceramic