At the first glance, orange may seem like a harmless color – radiant, warm, sweet. Though – when the shine gets too shiny and the glow too glowy, it is not the familiar orange we know anymore.
It is poison.
More precisely – it is uranium. This is the substance that has taken the lives of countless war victims: a single point of exposure has turned reality into a radiant nightmare.
When did this all begin?
Before World War II, manufacturers had been using uranium oxide in ceramic glazes to produce vivid reds and oranges. Little did they know – uranium oxide emits radioactivity. This fatal nature of the element continued to remain unknown until the late 19th century when scientists discovered uranium’s association with high cancer probability.
Knowing this did not increase our precaution at the time; however. Ironically, it did the exact opposite.
It destroyed us.
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During World War II, the US government confiscated uranium for atomic bomb development. Restrictions were even loosened in 1959 by the AEC (Atomic Energy Commission), allowing depleted uranium to return to ceramics and glass production post-war.
Orange became the new hit then – its glow lingered from dyes to clothes to dinnerware despite the substance’s known radioactivity.
Now that such products are held under strict regulations once more, Orange comes to serve as a reminder of how readily society can embrace even the most hazardous materials when aesthetics and convenience converge.
Credits: TED-Ed
Editor: Bach Quang Do
Illustrator: Linh Trieu