Strange uses of uranium throughout history

In addition to its use in nuclear reactors and weapons manufacturing, uranium has strange applications ranging from dentures to medical treatments .

In the United States in the late 1880s, the La Belle Glass Company developed a type of glass called Ivory or Cream Egg by increasing the proportion of uranium oxide, which gave it a more opaque effect. Heat-sensitive chemicals such as gold were added to the mixture and then re-fired during production, resulting in a gradient effect that ranged from transparent gold to milky white at the edges. Although there were many shades, the yellow-green effect became the most popular choice among buyers. Many other companies also used uranium to color glass during this period, with manufacturers competing to create new colors and gradients.

Uranium produces a fluorescent glow in glassware under ultraviolet light. (Photo: James L. Amos).

One of the most unusual uses of uranium, however, was reported in 1847, when Scientific American reported that uranium, along with platinum, titanium, and cobalt, could be used as a coloring agent for dentures made from feldspar and quartz . By adding uranium at the final stage of glassmaking, just before firing, dentures would take on a golden-orange hue. This effect was sought after, although historically dentures were made from ivory, gold, silver, mother-of-pearl, and copper. It wasn't until the late 19th century that this was replaced by porcelain, which looked more natural and realistic.

Uranium oxide, along with small amounts of other metal compounds, was also considered an important medicinal agent . That theory has a long history dating back to Paracelsus, a Swiss-German physician, botanist, and alchemist who specialized in the use of toxic minerals and metals to treat disease. Considered the father of toxicology, Paracelsus believed that good health was the sum of the four "primary humors" in the human body: blood, phlegm, tears, and bile. If they were out of balance, people would get sick. In the 16th century, Paracelsus believed that treatment was to fight poison with poison, simply by controlling the appropriate dosage and preventing harmful effects.

Some researchers say they can use uranium to create specific symptoms, so it could be useful in treating diseases. For example, kidney disease is a serious complication of diabetes, researcher C. Le Conte observed that "the sugar in the urine of dogs is poisoned by small amounts of uranium nitrate."

Samuel West, a physician at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, reinforced the potential of uranium for treating kidney disease when he published the results of clinical trials with uranium in the British Medical Journal in 1895 and 1896. West gave eight patients uranium salts dissolved in water after meals. He started with one or two grains of salt, then gradually increased the dose until they were consuming 20 grains two or three times a day. West found that glycosuria, glucose in the urine, disappeared, and many patients showed improvement in their symptoms. However, some patients in the trial developed gastrointestinal problems. When treatment was stopped, the effects returned immediately.

Although the results of such trials cannot be conclusively determined, uranium continues to be used in medicine for a wide variety of ailments.