In Haute-Vienne, uranium was mined notably in the La Crouzille district, near Bessines-sur-Gartempe, from 1945 to 1998. Radioactivity is also found in radon, a colourless and odourless gas present in granitic soils like in Limousin. Before the awareness of the dangers of radioactivity for living beings, radioactive components could be integrated into ceramics.