How Radioactive Is Marie Curie’s Lab Today?

Marie Curie invented the word  “radioactivity.” Literally.

She and her husband Pierre revolutionized  our understanding of the phenomenon.

So, it’s only right that today,  

her lab has been turned into a museum  in Paris called the Musée Curie.

But in the process of making those discoveries,  

the Curies and everything around them were  exposed to a massive amount of radiation.

The couple were buried in lead  caskets to contain the radiation.

And their furniture was similarly contaminated.

Which kind of makes you wonder: How  safe is it to visit that museum today?

After all, a lot of Marie  Curie’s stuff is still there,  

and some of it definitely remains radioactive.

A recent BBC story on the subject inspired  us to look into that question ourselves.

Here’s the safety report on  the birthplace of radiology.

[♪ INTRO]

For many years, the Curies studied radioactive  materials in a run-down shed without the  

protective gear we would use today to handle  elements like uranium, polonium, and radium.

Instead, they used… their bare hands.

Then, at night, they would  literally watch the elements glow.

Marie Curie wrote that they  looked like “faint, fairy lights.”

Simply put, they were saturated in radiation.

So if you visit Marie Curie’s lab  today, you might be a little on edge.

But the dangers associated with radioactivity  

aren’t as straightforward as  radioactivity-equals-deadly.

Let me explain.

Radioactivity is everywhere.