Not all pollution glows in the dark, but radioactive pollution is uniquely dangerous. It contaminates land, water, and air with unstable atoms that emit harmful radiation for decades or centuries. I explain what radioactive pollution actually is, where it comes from, its effects on human health and ecosystems, and what we can do to prevent it.

Carl Scheele tasted hydrogen cyanide and survived. Marie Curie’s notebooks are still radioactive, stored in lead-lined boxes. Karen Wetterhahn died from a few drops of dimethylmercury through her gloves. Here are 5 chemists who paid the ultimate price for science.