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Radium in Beauty

Beauty products throughout history with a radical twist

By: Skye Boisvert

The Basic Atomic Structure

Atoms are made of three basic particles. Protons and Neutrons exist in the neuclus.

An Atom Intro

What's special about radioactive atoms?

What are unstable atoms?

Radioactive atoms can also be called unstable. Unstable atoms have particles that have extra energy causing the strong force (the force that keeps nuclei together) to be disrupted. Click the image to play around with making stable vs unstable atoms

Radium undergoing Alpha Decay

When Radium-226 undergoes decay it loses the 2 protons and 2 neutrons that form a Helium nucleus or an alpha particle. this makes the Radium become Radon-222. Alpha particles can pass through paper but not much else unless ingested. Alpha particles can pass through thin body tissue severing them causing immense damage.

What happens to the atom to create radiation?

Radium Bath Salts

Advertised to help with a number of disorders including arthritis, rheumatism, insomnia, and general bodily issues. The common belief during the time was that Radium was a mircale substance. Bathing with Radium was not especially harmful however if the water was ingested there could be serious problems such as bone deterioration. Often products such as this wouldn't even include radium but would instead just advertise it so as to draw in customers so at the very least products such as this would rob the ill of their money.

What are the effects in the real world

Radium Tonic Water

The water was advertised as helping perk up its users as an energy drink. The result of putting alpha rays in a person's body is causing the decay of bones. Eben Byers one of the products greatest advocates died due to the radiation poisioning.

What happens when you actually drink radium water ?

While rubbing radioactive isotopes (atoms) into the skin can be extremely harmful none of the Tho-Radia products contained enough radium to cause any immediately issues though many of the women that used the products avidly contracted some variety of cancer. Click the photo to see a video of a woman at the spa beginning with radium face creme.

Tho-Radia

What about radium companies?

Tho-Radia was an extremely popular company until the 1930s when radium in products was banned. The products they sold were advertised as making a woman glow, restoring natural beauty and youth.

The End of the Radium Era:

How did the Radium Era end?

The end of putting radium in products came in 1938 after much controversy surrounding the Radium girls who contracted poisioning in factories, and the death of Eben Byers an incredibly public figure when the FDA banded desceptive marketing. In 1938 the FDA enacted the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Here is a Tho-Radia product after the ban meaning it was not noticably radioactive. Click the attached link to learn more about the 1938 FDC act.

Works Cited

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