Evening star., 1929-07-02
u. S. SCIENTIST HITS
RAD|UM M|ONOPOL
Thousands Are Dying of Can
Ger as BeIgians Hoard Sup
ply, Or. Moore Says.

Thousands throughout the world are
dying Of cancer every year while radium
is being boarded and sold at excessive
prices by Belgian monopoly, declares
an editorial OF protest in the July num-
Der of Industrial and Engineering
Chemistry, journal Of the American
Chemical Society, quoting DR.. r. B.
Moore, dean of science at Purdue Uni
versity.
A hoarder OF food who endeavors to
extract fabulous profit for a necessity
would be given no mercy, asserts the
journal, asking:
''What shall be said then of q COM
pany which, though numbering among
its stockholders citizens of other lands,
Is nevertheless controlled by those iden-
tilted with q country which sought and
was given the help of the world, and
which now demands the utmost the
trafflc will bear for a material which
to many means the difference between
Life and death?"
Urges Cost Price for Probers.
Radium is now selling at retail for
$4,000 gram. DR. Moore points out
that the Belgian producers could bring
Worldwide relief to cancer sufferers il
radium were sold at cost price to re-
search organizations such as the Ma
tional Research Council. Wealthy men,
he believes, would contribute to an en-
dowment for the control and use Of
radium in this way.
Universal agreement as to the ef-
ficacy Of radium In therapeutics is not
to be expected, but there is consider
able body Of authoritative opinion to
the effect that radiun1, when used skill
fully and in sufficient quantity, still
offers the best means known for the
treatment OF certain types of cancer, to
mention but one important application
relating to the maintenance Of health
and the defeat of disease.
Where radium has failed, authori-
ties tell us the cause has more fire.
quently been the insufficient quantity
of the radium salts available than for
any other reason. These quantities have
remained small because Of the price,
requiring an investment beyond the
ability Of many who otherwise would
be glad to use it."
U. s. Plants Now Closed.
The journal then quotes the follow
ing letter from Dean Moore:
"Up to 1912, the United States bought
such radium as it needed from Europe.
After that date, thanks to the efforts
Of the United States Bureau Of Mines,
the Standard Chemical Co., and later
on other companies, this country be-
came the largest producer Of radium
salts In the world.
From that date up to the time that
It became necessary to close our plants
between ITO and $50 grams of radium
element were produced from our ore,
practically all of it In this country.
The discovery and development Of
rich uranium deposits in the Belgian
Kongo finally made it impossible for
our American plants to compete, and
they have all been shut down for q
number of years. The world supply of
radium is produced in Belgium by the
Union Miniere du Haut Katanga.
THE American ore averaged for many
years about 2 per cent uranium oxide,
and more recently this average has
dropped to 1.5 per cent or less. The
average ore shipped from Africa and
treated In Belgium has been around 40
per cent uranium oxide. It can, there
fore, be readily seen why the American
companies have had to discontinue op-
erations.
when radium was made from 2 per
cent ore 1t sold for about $4,000 per
gram Of element. At the present time,
made from 40 per cent ore, 1t Is selling
In retail quantities for $4,000 per gram.
The wholesale price tn large quantities,
pany. is from 10000 to 100000 per
gram.
"The production of the radium COM
pany has been, naturally, only large
enough to take care Of the demand.
When the writer was In Europe last
Summer there were about 400 tons Of
40 per cent ore ready for treatment in
Belgium. This would give, allowing 80
per cent extraction, 50 grams Of radium
element. Ore Of is to 20 per cent
uranium oxide is not treated by the
Belgian company and is left IN Africa.
There is very considerable amount of
this ore available.
THE actual costs Of the company for
producing radium are not known, but
It should be very easy to obtain this
rare element from 40 per cent ore for