Inside ORAU’s Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity, you will find several ceramic “Radium Water” jars from several decades. For this piece we are going to look specifically at the ones made during the late 1920s and early 1930s. These jars were sold (ca. 1926-1932) by Radium Health Products of Canada. Here are a few fun facts about these products:
- Source of the Radioactivity
Despite its name, the jar itself does not contain any radioactivity. The source of the radioactivity was the "Hammer Radium Activator,” which was more than likely manufactured by mixing uranium ore with cement. This type of activator would normally have been kept inside the jar, but it was not unusual for the activator and the jar to become separated because of the activator’s portability.
- The Evolution of Labeling
As with many products made in the 1920s, the water jugs evolved over time, making slight changes to improve both the functionality and the appearance. One of the things that evolved was how the jugs were labeled. The original jugs were made with paper labels. However, when liquid was added to the jar, the paper labels would wear away over time. Throughout the years, many companies switched to using stenciled text that would last much longer. One of the jars in the collection at ORAU’s Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity is the Torbena Jar, and it includes both the product with the paper label and the one with stenciled text.
- Where the Jars Came From
Where were these water jugs produced? According to Paul Frame, Ph.D., who was a health physicist and trainer at ORAU and the founder of the museum collection, it is assumed that Radium Health Products of Canada was the Canadian distributor for Radium Health Products, a U.S. based company located in Royal Oak, Michigan. Their names form the most obvious link between the two companies. Another clue for a connection between the two is the fact that the U.S.-based Radium Health Products seems to have operated in a limited geographical region, and all the testimonial letters in a company flyer gave addresses in Michigan or Ontario. It’s important to know that Radium Health Products (Michigan) and Radium Health Products of Canada both sold directly to the public, but they also employed distributors.
- Other Radium Health Products from Michigan Company
In addition to radium water jugs, Radium Health Products had many other products on the market for consumers. Some of these items included radium water, radium ointment, radium respirators, radium pads, and radium baths. While the water jugs are believed to have been produced in Ontario, some of the other products from the company were made by Hammer Radium Laboratories of Denver.
Want to learn more about some of the other jars at ORAU’s Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity? Explore the jars for adding radon to water that are a part of the collection!