We often imagine radionuclides as only having uses in science labs and nuclear power plants, but it’s easy to forget that they’re commonly found all around us in our day-to-day lives, including in our homes! That may sound scary but don’t panic, only very low levels of radioactivity are used, and they allow us to make things that would otherwise be tricky to create, such as smoke alarms. Other household items, like bananas, have very small amounts of naturally occurring radionuclides in them (don’t worry, you’d have to eat around 50 million bananas at once to experience a lethal radiation dose!).

Have a go at the activities below to learn some of the radiation secrets behind our everyday lives!