Radium, anyone?

"Radium Rays", 1923
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Using the "potency of radium" to eradicate facial birthmarks would qualify as one of the most dangerous uses of radioactivity. More so complicated by the fact that -back in 1923- nobody really knew much about the links between radiological contamination and malignant cancers.

This newsclip hurts just by looking at it.

This wonderful substance

For the best part of the 20th century, asbestos was regarded as an almost "mythical" friend of Industrialisation - fireproof and waterproof, asbestos could be spun into cloth, or compressed into tiles, bricks and whatever else you could think of.

As the ad says "this wonderful substance brings safety..." - until the late 20th century - when asbestos was found to cause a very deadly, very painful form of lung cancer. Ouch.

"Asbestos", 1917

Are you sure this is safe (4)

Any tan lamp that claims to be 4 times as powerful as the summer sun is not good for you.

This model works with a carbon-arc, which discharges a very high level of ultraviolet light -a malignant melanoma (skin cancer) would be one of the after-effects of indulging in this healthy machine.

The photo of the guy "sunbathing" with dark goggles says it all.

Dangerous stuff.

"Health tan", 1938
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