Europium is used as a dopant for the production of phosphors, such as those used in the past in CRT televisions. Without europium, the development of colour television would have been unthinkable, as its use in the 1960s made it possible to display red shades of colour with great brilliance for the first time. Today, europium is used as a phosphor in electronic measuring devices such as oscilloscopes and in aircraft instruments. In energy-saving light bulbs, the element provides the red and blue colour components of the light. Another area of application is the control rods in nuclear power plants.
