'i am no man' Charlotte Eowyn! on Nostr: Ok here's the answer to your REAL QUESTION: Here's the answer to the QUESTION YOU ...

Ok here's the answer to your REAL QUESTION:

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/484026/how-does-an-ordinary-object-become-radioactive

Here's the answer to the QUESTION YOU ASKED:

"Neutrons, which are electrically neutral, can readily penetrate to the nuclei of metallic atoms. High energy neutrons may deliver appreciable kinetic energy to the nuclei, resulting in atom displacements within the metallic structures. Such displacements can lead to a chain of events in which multiple "knock-on" collisions occur that can lead to significant structural changes—strength, ductility, brittleness, etc

A second significant effect, especially important for low energy neutrons, is capture of neutrons by metallic nuclei, that yields atoms with one additional neutron compared to the usual stable configuration and with these species often being unstable (i.e., radioactive). For example, stable aluminum-27 (27Al) will be transformed to radioactive 28Al, which has a short half-life of about 2.3 minutes, and emits beta and gamma radiation. Mercury has several stable isotopes, and a few radionuclides are possible from neutron capture. One of the most significant of these is mercury-203 (203Hg), produced by neutron capture in 202Hg. The 203Hg has a half-life of about 46 days and emits beta and gamma radiation. A second radionuclide, 199mHg, produced from neutron capture by 198Hg, emits gamma radiation with a 43-minute half-life.

The processes of radiation-induced damage in metals, especially those exposed to high fluences of neutrons, can be a significant concern in some facilities. A common example is nuclear reactors, that operate for long periods, producing very high fluences of neutrons, some of which may irradiate metallic components and cause possible deleterious effects."

https://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q13412.html