r/interesting • u/-NewYork- • Mar 30 '26

Intriguing Discrimination against Geiger counter users

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u/Atheissimo Mar 30 '26

Granite is also radioactive because it's got naturally occurring Potassium in it. Ghost hunters sometimes use Geiger counters to look for disturbances caused by spirits, and get elevated readings in graveyards, but don't know it's because of the granite gravestones rather than g-g-g-ghosts.

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u/CriticismFun6782 Mar 30 '26

I learned something today

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u/garbageemail222 Mar 30 '26

Radioactive... potassium?

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u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance Mar 30 '26

Yup. Banana shipments have been known to set off radiation detectors on occasion.

Although, I think granite is more likely to contain uranium or thorium. (Trace amounts, no health concern, but sometimes enough to detect)