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Barium is from the same group of elements with Calcium and Magnesium so I imagine it's not very toxic. But it has many radioisotopes and a long lived one that's
by petre 5y ago
Barium is from the same group of elements with Calcium and Magnesium so I imagine it's not very toxic. But it has many radioisotopes and a long lived one that's naturally occuring, Ba-130.
- jcranmer 5y agoYour imagination is incorrect. Barium is indeed toxic, as is the case for pretty much every metal at the bottom of the periodic table even if they aren't radioactive. However, it is one of the more mild toxins, and its toxicity is heavily mitigated by the fact that it's one of the least soluble cations (i.e., barium-anything is pretty insoluble), so it would be relatively difficult to actually ingest.
- labster 5y agoLead is in the same group of elements as carbon and silicon so I imagine it’s not very toxic. — Flint, Michigan City Manager, probably
- throwaway4220 5y agoWe use barium sulfate for enemas and swallow studies. I don’t know if that means all barium is safe though. It’s certainly not like gadolinium.