Barium
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barium is chemical element 57 on the periodic table. Its symbol is Ba.
Barium is part of a group of elements known as the alkali earth metals. It is reactive, and if you put pure barium metal in the air, it will react with oxygen. Barium has some interesting uses. Certain types of barium can be put in the body. We can see where the barium travels in the body and this can tell us whether there are problems, such as blockages.
Barium is a very toxic element, though, and is dangerous. There is a really small amount of barium in our food, and this does not cause problems. If we get barium from other places, though, it can cause many problems. Even 1 gram of barium can kill you. It is dangerous because it acts like other really important elements, such as calcium and magnesium. If barium replaces these elements, it screws up the body.
