Striz Radium Rock (ca. 1930)

This belongs to a category of devices known as emanators whose purpose was to infuse drinking water with radon, a radioactive gas. To accomplish this, they were usually placed in a container filled with 1-2 gallons of water for 24 hours or so. Some emanators (e.g., the Thomas Cone) were sold individually while others were sold together with a jar (e.g., the Hammer Radium Activator used in the Radium Water Jar). The Striz Radium Rock was a stand-alone device.

The only contemporaneous references I’ve found to the Striz Radium Rock were in the testimonials of multiple classified advertisements in the 1931 Saturday editions of the Oklahoma Courier. More specifically, the advertisements promoted the products (e.g., radiumized pads, water jars) of Bernard Striz who could be reached at P.O. Box 712, San Antonio, Texas.

I assume that it was constructed by packing a mix of uranium (aka radium) ore, water and cement into a steel mold.

Size: 3.75" diameter, 1.9" high

Exposure rate: 20 uR/hr above background at one foot

Donated by the State of Michigan courtesy of Theodore Wentworth.