Barium Fact Sheet

Barium is a divalent cation and alkaline earth metal that can be found in naturally occurring mineral deposits. The most common ores are found in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, and Tennessee. In 2010, 670 thousand tons of barite, a natural barium sulfate ore, were mined in the US, most of it in Nevada. By 2010, 95% of barite sold in US was used as a weighting agent in natural gas and oil field drilling (USGS, 2011). Although it is also used in making a wide variety of electronic components, in metal alloys, bleaches, dyes, fireworks, ceramics and glass. Barium is released to water and soil in the discharge and disposal of drilling wastes, from the smelting of copper, and the manufacture of motor vehicle parts and accessories.