What happens to radium when it enters the environment?
• Radium is constantly being produced by the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. • Radium is present at very low levels in rocks and soil and may strongly attach to those materials. • Radium may also be found in air. • High concentrations are found in water in some areas of the country. • Uranium mining results in higher levels of radium in water near uranium mines. • Radium in the soil may be absorbed by plants. • It may concentrate in fish and other aquatic organisms.
