Fact Friday: Radium Schokolade

Did you know that in the 1930’s you could buy radioactive chocolate?

German company Burk & Braun manufactured their ‘Radium Schokolade’ between 1931 and 1936, advertising it as a ‘rejuvenating‘ food. Before the scientists could grasp how terrifyingly dangerous radium was, people were keen to exploit this new wonder-stuff since its discovery in 1898 by Pierre and Marie Curie. Radium Schokolade was advertised with the tag line ‘Eat This & Feel Great’ as radium was believed to have powerful ‘life giving’ properties partly down to its mysterious glow.

Advert for Burk & Braun’s radium chocolate

British chemists dubbed products like this ‘suicide chocolate’ once all of radium’s properties were made gruesomely clear.

It didn’t stop with chocolate though, radium appeared in an array of household items and foods; including radioactive watches, toothpaste, lipstick, water, butter, bread and even suppositories…