wow, this is more than most people even begin to know. for further posts i would elucidate it in terms of ionizing radiation, which adds energy to substances creating ions and causing instability in the chemical bond structure.
also interesting are cosmic rays. and refractory materials. have you ever measured a coffee cup with a Geiger counter? or a granite counter top?
this is a huge subject and an excellent start. most people think radiation is like magic. thanks for the post.