Everyday Uses of Deadly Elements

Mercury, polonium, lead, arsenic, uranium. The list of elements on the periodic table that can cause fatality to the human being is immense, but did you know that a lot of these dangerous elements can be used to our own benefit? Some of these deadly elements are so common in our lives, you would be surprised that they can be found in these least expected places. Let's learn more.

Cadmium (Cd)

Cadmium, element 48, is a heavy metal that can easily cause severe lung and kidney damage if not handled carefully. But despite being so dangerous, it can be easily found in a place that SEEMS unsafe to be found in a place so public: school buses. School buses get their striking yellow color from cadmium, which can be used to make a bright yellow pigment that can be used to make paint. Additionally, school buses that are fueled on diesel emit cadmium gases, which can be a potential hazard. Fortunately, some old-time school buses are being replaced by safer, cleaner school buses that run on electricity.

Mercury (Hg)

An infamous element known to be super toxic, mercury, element 80, can be found in some pretty interesting places. For example, if you have a silver-colored tooth enamel filling, there’s a chance that it may contain mercury, but don’t worry if it does, as other metals are mixed with it, so it’s safe. Other places that mercury can be found are old thermometers, as back then, mercury was the most accurate liquid used for reading temperatures, and old batteries. While most of this mercury can’t hurt you, it is extremely important to know that it is unsafe to play with these items. You could really hurt yourself if you do. So for these mercury items, it is safer to observe, rather than touch.

Antimony (Sb)

Antimony, element 51, is a metalloid that can be super dangerous if ingested via mouth contact. However, this element is commonly found alloyed with other metals to make them stronger. For instance, antimony is sometimes alloyed with copper and tin to make them more stronger and durable. Other times, antimony is used to make certain products, like pigments and computer parts. This element is more of a useful element than a dangerous element, but if you ever come across anything made of antimony, be careful.

Lead (Pb)

Infamously known to be super toxic, lead (element 82) can do serious damage to you when it gets the chance, but it’s super common in our everyday lives. Some sewage pipes are made using lead, as lead is super cheap, malleable, and corrosion-resistant. However, lead pipes are quickly fading out of style, as it’s super dangerous to the public and is being replaced by copper,which is much safer. However, there are still places where lead is common, like in fishing weights, since its malleability and weight make it super popular in fishing weights. Lead is also commonly found in paint that was used before 1978 (this was when lead paint was officially prohibited to use), most commonly the color white.

Arsenic (As)

Surprisingly for an element known to be super dangerous, arsenic (element 33) can be super handy in many things. For instance, when paired with gallium, it makes an alloy that's super useful in high-speed electronics, such as smartphone chips. Arsenic is also used in wood preservation, removing color from glass, and is sometimes used in medicine. But it had way more uses back then, other than poisoning people, that is. It was used in things like fly paper, wallpaper, cosmetics to lighten skin color, and other household items like sheep dip and rat poisons. 

Polonium (Po)

Often called the most dangerous element ever, polonium, element 84, is so dangerously radioactive that you can even see the surrounding air around it glow with radioactivity. However, this element can come in handy, as polonium was once used in 1940s Stonefire spark plugs for cars. The polonium inside made a bigger, brighter spark due to its radioactivity. However, the only problem with these radioactive spark plugs is that they would only last a few months, thanks to polonium’s rapid decay process. Now, most of these vintage spark plugs are sold on sites like eBay as collectibles.

Uranium (U)

Everyone knows what uranium, element 92, is, but it can end up in places where you don’t really expect it to show up. If you have some pieces of glassware that's at least 95 years old, there's a chance that there’s uranium in it. In the 1830s, uranium was added to glassware as not only was it popular for its color when placed under UV light, it was also cheap to produce it, as uranium was a common byproduct in mining. However, in World War II, uranium glassware production stopped because uranium became restricted for nuclear purposes. However, uranium glassware is now a rare vintage item that can become a collector’s item.

Radium (Ra)

Radium, element 88, is an element that has a past of harming people, and yet those people had no idea what happened to them. Radium was once thought of as a “wonder element,” in which it was thought of as a material that can cure a lot of things, like certain diseases. Radium was also used to make watches, where radium paint was used on the numbers and dials to make them glow in UV light, but the paint itself was dangerous when wet. Radium was also used in cosmetics and toothpastes. But now, radium is rarely used because of its radioactivity.

Plutonium (Pu)

Not surprisingly, plutonium, element 94, is an element that’s so dangerous that you can hardly find it in your daily life. The only source of plutonium you can technically find is through a very rare material that can be extremely pricy. This prized material is called trinitite. Trinitite is a glassy material that was created when the Trinity bomb was detonated in the sand of New Mexico, which resulted in the sand fusing with plutonium and steel coming from the bomb, creating trinitite. Because there is a very limited quantity of this material, prices can be pretty high. However, people have started to sell fake versions of trinitite, as the real material is extremely hard to get. So if you are interested in purchasing a piece of trinitite, check your sources, make sure you’re getting what you're paying for, and don’t waste your money!

Written By Mason Oh

Edited By Oliver Handoko