Radiation is very different from radioactivity. It's sort of like the idea that a microwave can be dangerous running exposed, but it's fine the moment the magn

Radiation is very different from radioactivity. It's sort of like the idea that a microwave can be dangerous running exposed, but it's fine the moment the magnetron stops. If you have a rapidly decaying isotope, it will produce lots of radiation. However, most of that radiation will be harmless. Some ionizing radiation will be able to change the atoms that make up surrounding materials, but most of that will remain harmless, and very little will become radioactive.