Marie Curie passed away due to aplastic anemia caused by her work with radiation, and her coffin was later discovered to be lined with a thick layer of 2.5 mm of lead.
Today, Marie Curie is remembered for her pioneering research in radiation, which not only earned her two Nobel Prizes but also recognized her as the “mother of modern physics.” Her research on the radioactive elements polonium and radium has left a lasting scientific legacy, but these substances also had long-term effects on her body, as reported by IFL Science on May 25.
Marie Curie with her husband, Pierre Curie. (Photo: Wikimedia)
Curie was not only the first woman to win a Nobel Prize but also the only woman to receive awards in two different fields. In 1896, French physicist Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium salts emitted rays similar to X-rays in their ability to penetrate objects. Curie studied Becquerel’s work as part of her thesis. Together with her husband, Pierre Curie, they embarked on research that led to the discovery of radium and polonium, two new radioactive elements, in 1898. This achievement earned the Curies half of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, with the other half awarded to Becquerel.
In 1911, following a personal tragedy (Pierre Curie’s sudden death in 1906), Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating pure radium. She dedicated herself to studying the chemical properties of radioactive substances and their applications in medicine. Without Curie’s research, cancer treatment methods may not have developed as they have today. However, despite her precautions, prolonged exposure to these substances took a toll on Marie Curie’s health.
The grave of Pierre and Marie Curie at the Panthéon. (Photo: Wikimedia).
Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934, from aplastic anemia caused by her work with radiation. This rare blood disease occurs when the bone marrow does not produce enough new blood cells for the body to function normally. At the time of her death, her body was so contaminated with radiation that it had to be placed in a lead-lined coffin. However, this fact remained unknown until 1995, when her coffin was excavated.
At that time, the French government wanted to move the Curies to a national mausoleum – the Panthéon – to honor their significant contributions to science and their status as symbols in French history. The excavation team contacted the French Radiation Protection Agency out of concern for residual radiation and sought assistance to protect the workers in the cemetery.
As the excavation team approached the graves of the Curies, they noticed that the air had normal radiation levels. This level increased slightly when the grave was opened. Initially, Marie Curie’s coffin appeared to be made of ordinary wood. However, upon opening it, workers discovered it had a 2.5 mm thick lead lining.
Subsequent tests showed that Marie Curie’s body was well preserved, with only low levels of alpha and beta radiation contamination. According to the Journal of the British Society for the History of Radiology, this may be due to Curie’s efforts to limit her exposure to radiation later in life.
However, after 100 years, many of her belongings, including furniture, cookbooks, clothing, and laboratory notes, remain highly radioactive. Some items are stored in lead-lined boxes at the National Library of France in Paris. Visitors wishing to access them must sign a liability waiver and wear protective clothing to avoid exposure to radium-226, an isotope with a half-life of approximately 1,600 years.
