Start Date: May 18, 2021 End Date: May 20, 2021 Element: Radon
Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas that comes from the soil. It is in the air that we breathe. It is one of the first radioactive elements to be discovered, after uranium, thorium, polonium, and radium. It costs a lot, and that paired with its health risk and its short 'life' caused it to not have that much research and chemical studies to be done about it. The concentration of radon drops significantly over oceans, but in caves, there is usually a very high amount of radon. Radon is soluble in water.
With a lot of exposure, it can lead to lung cancer. Radon always poses some sort of health risk, no matter how small the amount is. It is impossible to reduce the radon amount to zero, but actions are being taken to reduce the radon in the air, such as by using mitigation systems for radon. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer for people who don't smoke, and the second cause of lung cancer in people who smoke (with the first being smoking, of course). The longer time that someone spends in the presence of radon, along with a higher amount, the risk of getting lung cancer increase. Around 21,000 people in the United States die from lung cancer that was linked to exposure to radon. The risks of getting lung cancer from radon are especially high for people who smoke. A radon test is the thing that is necessary to know if radon is in a home, as there are no signs that radon is there. There aren't any immediate signs, such as nausea or dizziness, if an individual is exposed to radon. Symptoms may take months or even years to develop. Radon is present both indoors and outdoors. However, radon outdoors is diluted by the other gases and the winds that blow it around. In homes, and buildings in general, radon can build up to deadly levels. Wearing masks of any kind will /not/ help with the amount of radon you inhale, and even if you wear a mask, you may still get lung cancer from radon.
It occurs naturally and comes from decaying radioactive elements, with some elements being radium, uranium, and thorium (among others). It is the densest gas (7.5 times heavier than air), and it is a noble gas, which is on the far right side of the Periodic Table and means that it won't react, having a full electron shell. It can, however, react with fluoride to form a fluoride.
It doesn't have a known biological purpose, but it is thought to have played roles in evolution, as life needs some radiation to evolve.
Radon's atomic number is 86 (again, the number of protons), and the atomic weight is 222 (which is the average mass). It has a density of 9.073 grams per liter. At room temperature, it is a gas, and its melting point is -71 °Celsius (or -95 °F). When it is cooled beyond its freezing point, it emits light that starts out yellow, and as the temperature decreases become orange/red. On the other hand, its boiling point is -61.7 °C (or -79 °F). Radon has 33 known isotopes, with Rn-226 being most common. None of the isotopes, however, are stable.
It was discovered by a German scientist by the name of Friedrich Ernst Dorn in 1900. Sir William Ramsey, a Scottish chemist, discovered more of the properties of radon, along with English chemist Robert Whytlaw Gray. It also had many different names. First, it was referred to as 'radium emanation', and then the name got changed into 'niton', which came from the Latin word for shining, which is nitens. Finally, in 1923, it became known as radon.
Radon was once believed to have medical benefits, and some people still believe in it, such as people who go to radon hot springs in places like Japan. However, radon is still very dangerous, and probably shouldn't be used like that.
In conclusion, radon is a radioactive element that poses health risks. There is probably much more to be learned about radon, but these are a few interesting facts about radon.
