Smooth pebble-like stones of mineral barite found in Bologna, Italy, were known as "Bologna stones."
In 1790, along with his colleague William Cruickshank at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, London, Crawford noted the distinctiveness of strontianite from barium minerals, and may thereby be said to be the discoverer of strontium.
Historically, barium bromide was used to purify radium in a process of fractional crystallization devised by Marie Curie.
; Ley, S. V.; Castle, G.H. (2004), "Barium Manganate", in Paquette,L.
Barium oxide should not be released environmentally; it is harmful to aquatic organisms.
The patient is instructed to take nothing by mouth, which means to abstain from eating and drinking (fasting), with the exception of drinking the barium sulfate suspension.
In the latest ASTM Standard Guide for GSR analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDX) particles containing lead, antimony and barium, and respecting some rules related to the morphology and to the presence of other elements are considered characteristic of GSR.
These gastroprokinetic effects make metoclopramide useful in the treatment of gastric stasis (for example: after gastric surgery or diabetic gastroparesis), as an aid in gastrointestinal radiographic studies by accelerating transit through the gastrointestinal system in barium studies, and as an aid in difficult intubation of the small intestine.
Marie Curie and André-Louis Debierne used it in their original separation of radium from barium.
A team led by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist Zeng Guang suggests that the element barium, present in local foods and contaminated water, may increase the toxicity of the Trogia mushroom.
As a class, they represent a significant source of the world's Cu, Zn, Pb, Au, and Ag ores, with Co, Sn, Ba, S, Se, Mn, Cd, In, Bi, Te, Ga and Ge as co- or by-products.