Researchers used it as an ingredient in paint that reflects 98.1% of all solar radiation, thus cooling surfaces to which it has been applied. It is also used as a coating to diffuse light evenly.īarium sulfate is highly reflective, of both visible and ultraviolet light. In photography it is used as a coating for certain photographic papers. The combination of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide (ZnS) is the inorganic pigment called lithopone. One major manufacturer of artists' oil paint sells 'permanent white' that contains a mixture of titanium white pigment ( TiO 2) and barium sulfate. In oil paint, barium sulfate is almost transparent, and is used as a filler or to modify consistency. The majority of synthetic barium sulfate is used as a component of white pigment for paints. Due to the relatively high atomic number ( Z = 56) of barium, its compounds absorb X-rays more strongly than compounds derived from lighter nuclei. Barium sulfate is also readily removed from the body, unlike Thorotrast, which it replaced. Although barium is a heavy metal, and its water-soluble compounds are often highly toxic, the low solubility of barium sulfate protects the patient from absorbing harmful amounts of the metal. It is administered orally, or by enema, as a suspension of fine particles in a thick milk-like solution (often with sweetening and flavoring agents added).

It is most often used in imaging of the GI tract during what is colloquially known as a ' barium meal'. Barium sulfate in suspension is often used medically as a radiocontrast agent for X-ray imaging and other diagnostic procedures.

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