Barium is a reactive metal used in various forms, from fireworks to medicine. It is found in natural compounds and can cause poisoning if mishandled. Barium sulfate is commonly used in liquid suspensions for X-ray diagnostics.
Barium is a chemical element classified among the alkaline earth metals. It has numerous uses, from fireworks to medicine, usually in the form of compounds such as barium sulfate. Many of these forms of toxic cause workers who interact with it to use extreme care when handling this element. Consumers are probably most familiar with the form used in liquid suspensions for X-ray diagnostics.
In nature, barium is not found in its pure state because it readily interacts with air. Once isolated, the element takes the form of a soft, silvery-white metal, though it will oxidize rapidly when exposed to air. In the earth’s crust it is about the 18th element in order of abundance and is found in numerous natural compounds. In the periodic table of elements barium is identified with the symbol Ba, and has atomic number 56.
This reactive metal had been known to exist for at least a century before Sir Humphrey Davy succeeded in isolating it in 1808. The element’s name comes from the Greek word for “heavy,” a reference to the element’s high specific gravity. Since Davy’s discovery, numerous uses of barium have been explored, and several companies specialize in the extraction and processing of it and the element’s natural compounds. Barium sulfate and carbonate are two common compounds.
In fireworks, barium nitrate is used to make explosives green. Compounds of the element are also used in electrodes, pigments, batteries, semiconductors, and glassmaking. In the oil industry, it is used as weight in wells, and barium carbonate is sometimes used as a rodent poison. In the hospital setting, patients drink it for X-ray imaging because it is opaque to X-rays, allowing doctors to see the condition of the esophagus, stomach and intestinal tract.
Barium poisoning can cause muscle weakness, kidney damage, and nervous system problems. Fortunately, the metal does not bioaccumulate, so once the symptoms of poisoning are recognized, the condition can be treated and the metal will work its way out of the victim’s body. People are at risk from both inhalation and ingestion, and it is typically found in industrial settings where workers handle high volumes of barium. This element can also poison water supplies, although routine testing of a water supply should detect this, along with other forms of contamination.
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