eli5 How can non-radioactive elements and materials become radioactive?

Question

I understand how uranium is radioactive because it essentially tears itself apart but what I don’t understand is how like plastic and metal tools used to handle it becomes radioactive.

In: 1

Answer 1

Long story short, the plastic and metal material itself is not becoming radioactive.

What does happen is parts of the *actual* radioactive material can rub off, brush off, scrape off, etc. and cling to the plastic or metal. This is generally called *contamination*. So now you’ve got a metal tool that also has some radioactive material on it spewing out radiation. In some cases it is possible to clean that tool or material off (decontaminate).