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They can be. Some radioactive elements are chemical poisons, apart from their radioactivity, but beyond some fairly low level, the radiation itself can damage cells and tissues. High radiation doses can cause biological tissues (that's US!) to break down fairly quickly causing rapid death, and moderate radiation doses can cause cancers which can kill you over longer time periods.

Low doses of radiation are probably harmless; the level of "low" is a matter of some dispute among scientists and doctors.

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