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radon [Rn]

Derived from its element of origin, radium. Discovered in 1898 by Frederich Ernst Dorn. Occurrence: 1) Radon 222 arises naturally from decay of uranium 238 2) Average home concentrations of radon gas (Europe) 100 Bq/m3 Characteristics: -> heavy radioactive gaseous element formed by disintegration of radium. Caution: Biohazard Pathology: - Levels of radon > 800 Bq/m3 associated with 2-fold increase in lung cancer [3] for non smokers - Absolute risks of lung cancer by age 75 at radon concentrations of 0, 100, & 400 Bq/m3 is 0.4%, 0.5%, & 0.7%, respectively, for lifelong non-smokers - Risk is 25 times greater (10%, 12%, and 16%) for cigarette smokers (1 pack/day).

Related

periodic table

General

inert gas (noble gas, rare gas)

Properties

SIZE: AW = 222.02 atomic number VALUE: 86 VALENCE: XE 4F14 5D10 6S2 6P6

Database Correlations

PUBCHEM cid=24857

References

  1. Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Miriam- Webster Inc. Springfield, MA 1990
  2. Chemical & Engineering News, Sept 8, 2003
  3. Journal Watch 25(7):57, 2005 Radon in homes and risk of lung cancer: collaborative analysis of individual data from 13 European case-control studies. BMJ. 2005 Jan 29;330(7485):223. Epub 2004 Dec 21. PMID: 15613366 http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7485/223
  4. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Radon https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/radon/index.cfm