Word by word, diagram by diagram, and volume by volume, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has preserved the classic journal Radium for the ages and for wide access. Published from 1913 to 1925 by Standard Chemical Company, based in Western Pennsylvania, the journal Radium is one of many historic documents Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has digitally preserved. By saving materials in a digital format, the Library makes them accessible to a wider audience, such as students and national historians, via the Internet.
David Allard, CHP, Director, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, regards the journal as an important asset for researching the history of the radium industry and the legacies of its production. "Radium is historically significant because we are still finding radioactive sites in Pennsylvania. We need to make sure that no old facilities are contaminated and may pose a safety concern," Allard shares.
Standard Chemical was the first in the U.S. to commercially produce radium. Before the company realized its potential, radium was scarce and expensive - with limited potential to be used for treating cancer and other diseases.
"This is a very rare journal," explained Joel Lubenau, Emeritus Certified Health Physicist. "To my knowledge, only three libraries have a complete set - College of Physicians of Philadelphia, U.S. National Library of Medicine in Bethesda and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh."
Radium features articles on the then-frontier of research with radium, radioactivity and medical uses. Converted from its original print to electronic form, it is now infinitely more accessible to all who study this rare element.
Today, nearly 100 years after it was published, Radium continues to illuminate readers - both historically and medically.