Why does radium tend to accumulate in bones?

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A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors. — alkaline-earth metal Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

Radium tends to accumulate in bones because it is chemically similar to calcium and strontium.12

As a member of the alkaline-earth metals (Group 2 of the periodic table), radium shares chemical properties with other elements in the group, allowing the body to mistake it for calcium during biological processes. Once ingested, this similarity leads the body to store radium in the bone tissue.132

This accumulation is hazardous because radium is radioactive; its emission of alpha particles within the bone can interfere with the production of red blood cells and potentially lead to serious health conditions, such as anemia and bone cancer.12