What kind of metal is radon

Typically, exposure occurs as a result of leaks from underground, and both radon gas and small particles of its solid decay products may be inhaled, leading to radiation exposure in lung tissue.

Additionally, it is sometimes used as a radioactive tracer to check structures for gas leaks. Radon is a Block P, Group 18, Period 6 element. The number of electrons in each of Radon's shells is 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8 and its electronic configuration is [Xe] 4f 14 5d 10 6s 2 6p 6.

In its elemental form radon's CAS number is The radon atom has a covalent radius of Radon is produced by the radioactive decay of radium, which is found in phosphate, igneous and metamorphic rocks as well as uranium ores and shales.

The name radon is derived from the element radium. Radon is highly radioactive and a carcinogen. Radon information, including technical data, properties, and other useful facts are specified below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity, and thermal properties are included. Radon has 39 known isotopes. In the United States, the average indoor radon level is about 1.

The average outdoor level is about 0. The U. In , an odd coincidence known as the "Watras Incident" led to the discovery of the highest radon reading ever in Pennsylvania and ultimately urged the EPA to get involved in monitoring radon levels in residential homes. Stanley J. Watras, a construction engineer at the Limerick nuclear power plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, set off the alarm at a radiation monitor installed to ensure that workers were not leaving the building with unsafe levels of radiation on their bodies.

This was quite a surprise, because the plant was still under construction and had not even been filled with nuclear fuel yet — so exposure would have been impossible. Eventually, a team of specialists discovered that Watras was not picking up the radiation at the plant, but from his own home —radiation levels in his home were times higher than the maximum level considered safe. The specialists discovered that the culprit was radon gas, which had been seeping into his home from underground, according to The Morning Call.

Living there was the equivalent of smoking a couple hundred packs of cigarettes a day. The family moved out immediately, and the home was turned into a scientific laboratory for the long-term measurement of radon and the testing of radon mitigation approaches.

After several months, the radon was reduced to an acceptable level, and the family returned. Today, the U. Surgeon General and the EPA recommend that all homes be tested for radon. For thousands of years, people have bathed in natural hot springs for the therapeutic properties of the water. Many of these spas have been found to contain radon.

And yet,rather than developing radiation sickness or cancer, many claim that bathing in the radon-rich groundwater reduces inflammation and pain. Also, radon was sometimes used by hospitals to treat cancer and other diseases. Hospitals used to produce it themselves by pumping radon from a radium source and sealing it in small tubes called seeds or needles.

Below its boiling point it forms a colourless liquid and then at lower temperatures an orange-red solid which glows eerily due to the intense radiation it produces. Radon has a fairly short half-life of only a few days so rapidly decays.

Why then should we worry about radon levels in our homes? The problem is, when breathed in, it can decay to form other, longer-lasting, solid radioactive species, which can coat the lungs, leading to continual exposure. These so-called 'radon daughters' include polonium, polonium and lead - not family members you'd wish to spend a lot of time with.

Prolonged radon exposure is believed to be the second most frequent cause of lung cancer after smoking. The unfortunate gentleman with the basement full of radon had a risk of consequentially developing lung cancer equivalent to smoking packs of cigarettes every day! So now that I'm comfortable in my freshly decorated new home, all that remains for me to do is to check that my surroundings are as safe as they look.

Fortunately that's easily done these days with radon test kits which you can order online. You place them in the corner of a room for three months and forget about them and then send them away to be analysed. But maybe don't take a deep breath before you open the results from the lab, just in case. Next week from a chemical that kills silently and slowly to an albeit more fearsome beast.

The year old technician spilled only a few hundred millilitres or so in his lap during a routine palaeontology experiment. He took the normal precaution in such situations, quickly dowsing himself with water from a laboratory hose, and even plunged into a nearby swimming pool while the paramedics were en route.

But a week later, doctors removed a leg, and a week after that, he was dead. The culprit: hydrofluoric acid colloquially known as HF , and the unfortunate man was not its first victim. But what killed him, and what about the people who first isolated HF, unaware of its terrible reputation? Well you can find out what happened to them from Kira Weissman on next week's Chemistry in its element. I'm Chris Smith, thank you for listening and goodbye.

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We welcome your feedback. Data W. Haynes, ed. Version 1. Coursey, D. Schwab, J. Tsai, and R. Dragoset, Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions version 4. Periodic Table of Videos , accessed December Podcasts Produced by The Naked Scientists. Download our free Periodic Table app for mobile phones and tablets. Explore all elements.

D Dysprosium Dubnium Darmstadtium. E Europium Erbium Einsteinium. F Fluorine Francium Fermium Flerovium. G Gallium Germanium Gadolinium Gold. I Iron Indium Iodine Iridium.

K Krypton. O Oxygen Osmium Oganesson. U Uranium. V Vanadium. X Xenon. Y Yttrium Ytterbium. Z Zinc Zirconium. Membership Become a member Connect with others Supporting individuals Supporting organisations Manage my membership.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Youtube. Discovery date. Discovered by. Friedrich Ernst Dorn. Origin of the name. The name is derived from radium, as it was first detected as an emission from radium during radioactive decay. Melting point. Boiling point. Atomic number. Relative atomic mass.

Key isotopes. Electron configuration. CAS number. ChemSpider ID. ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database. Electronegativity Pauling scale. Common oxidation states. Atomic mass. Half life. Mode of decay. Relative supply risk. Crustal abundance ppm. Top 3 producers. Top 3 reserve holders.

Political stability of top producer. Political stability of top reserve holder.