Radium transport back in the day

[peteshonkwiler]

Radium was transported from the Standard Chemical Company (SCC) radium lab in the Vanadium Building on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh to local doctors by a messenger using public transportation. The radium, in the form of radium chloride salts, was initially processed at a plant in Canonsburg, PA, and then transported by streetcar to Pittsburgh. A messenger would carry the radium salts, in unshielded containers, on trolleys from Canonsburg to the Vanadium Building.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
1. Processing in Canonsburg:
The ore containing radium was processed at a facility in Canonsburg, where it was treated with chemicals to extract a radium chloride salt.
2. Transportation to Pittsburgh:
The radium salts were then transported by streetcar from Canonsburg to Pittsburgh.
3. Delivery to the Vanadium Building:
A messenger would carry the radium, in unshielded glass bottles, from the streetcar to the Vanadium Building on Forbes Avenue in Oakland.
4. Distribution to Doctors:
From the Vanadium Building, the radium would be distributed to doctors in Pittsburgh for various medical applications.

Note: "messenger using public transportation" meant carrying the bottles of radium in a container ala a 6 pack container, on streetcars.