Are bananas radioactive?
Bananas are very slightly radioactive because they contain potassium-40, and scientists sometimes jokingly use the "banana equivalent dose" to explain tiny radiation exposures.
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Radioactive Facts
Radioactive facts and facts about radioactives, from the Random Facts shelf.
7 facts on this shelf
What are the three isotopes of hydrogen?
Hydrogen has three isotopes: protium, deuterium, and tritium. Radioactive tritium is used in some self-glowing exit signs.
Where does helium on Earth come from?
Helium on Earth is made by the radioactive decay of elements underground and is collected from natural gas wells. It was first found in US natural gas in Kansas in 1905.
How does carbon dating work?
Carbon-14 dating estimates the age of once-living things by measuring how much radioactive carbon-14 is left. Its half-life is about 5,730 years.
Why was some Fiestaware radioactive?
Some old Fiestaware used a red glaze containing uranium.
Can sunflowers clean up radiation?
Sunflowers have been planted at nuclear disaster sites to help pull radioactive materials out of the soil.
Are Marie Curie's notebooks still radioactive?
Marie Curie's notebooks are still radioactive and are kept in lead-lined boxes.