The notebooks Marie Curie filled with her research are still dangerous to touch

6 hours ago

Marie Curie's research notebooks remain dangerously radioactive, primarily due to radium-226, even after over a century.
Radium-226 has a half-life of about 1,600 years, meaning it decays slowly; the notebooks will remain hazardous until around the year 3500.
Curie handled radioactive materials without protective gear due to a lack of knowledge about their harmful effects, contaminating her belongings.
The notebooks are stored in lead-lined boxes at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, accessible only under strict safety protocols and protective clothing.
The contamination reflects the era when radioactivity was discovered but its dangers were not yet understood, a legacy of Curie's pioneering but perilous work.
Curie's death from a blood disorder is linked to radiation exposure, making the notebooks a poignant reminder of the risks involved in scientific discovery.

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