What is RadiThor?
One of these energy-containing products was RadiThor. This energy drink was simply radium dissolved in water. It was sold in the 1920s in one-ounce bottles costing about US$1 each ($15 in 2016 dollars). Its manufacturer claimed the drink not only provided energy but also cured a host of ailments, including impotence.
Why did Eben Byers drink RadiThor?
In 1927, during one of his matches, he tripped and injured his arm. The wound wasn’t very bad, but it provoked a lot of pain, something Byers was not used to. Therefore his medic prescribed Radithor for faster healing besides all its other hypothetical benefits.
What is RadiThor used for?
Radithor was advertised as an effective treatment for over 150 “endocrinologic” diseases, especially lassitude and sexual impotence. Over 400,000 bottles, each containing over 2 muCi (74 kBq) of radium, were apparently marketed and sold worldwide between 1925 and 1930.
Did the FDA approve RadiThor?
Even though Radithor was extremely dangerous, it was accurately labeled as a “radioactive water” and thus legal under the 1906 Act.
Who made RadiThor?
Bailey Radium Laboratories, Inc.
Radithor was manufactured from 1918 to 1928 by the Bailey Radium Laboratories, Inc., of East Orange, New Jersey. The owner of the company and head of the laboratories was listed as William J. A. Bailey, a dropout from Harvard College, who was not a medical doctor.
Who sold RadiThor?
Byers took and I am 51 years old, active and healthy” (UP press release of April 2, 1932). According to Roger Macklis (1990), author of the definitive accounts of Radithor, Bailey and Byers, the radium for Radithor was purchased from another New Jersey company, American Radium Laboratory.
What does radiation do to the body?
Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
How did Eben Byers eat?
Believing he felt an immediate positive effect, Byers consumed three bottles a day of Radithor — three times the lethal radiation dose. His arm not only got better, but he experienced a return of the “male virility” for which he was well known in his Harvard days, when he was dubbed “sexy grandpa.”
Who created RadiThor?
William J. A. Bailey
What is radioactive water called?
Americans Used to Drink Radioactive Water Called Radithor.
Do people drink radioactive water?
Wealthy Americans used to drink one of the world’s most radioactive elements on purpose. Out of this ignorance, some companies started selling radioactive products like soap, toothpaste, and — perhaps most famously — the energy drink called Radithor. Here’s what Radithor did to one of its most devoted customers.
What happens if you drink radioactive water?
Different doses of radiation cause different health effects. Drinking water that has radionuclides in it puts you in contact with very low doses of radiation every day. You have a higher risk of getting cancer if you drink water with radionuclides in it every day for many years.