86

Radon: The Silent Killer

Basic Info

Colorless Odorless Atomic Number: 86 Density: 9.73 g/cm3 at 20°C Melting Point: - 71 °C Boiling Point: - 62 °C Formed from the decay of Radium

Basic Info Cont.More Fun Facts!

Most dense gas known Half-life is 3.8 days Radon is produced from the decay of Radium,

so it is anywhere there is radium or a radium deposit. And, radium deposits may be anywhere.

Radon may be in your house right now 15,000 to 22,000 people die from Radon related

lung cancer each year in the US

Some Awesome History!

First discovered in 1900 by Friedrich Ernst Dorn

More Awesome History!!

Radon was responsible for thousands of deaths before it even had a name.

The first recorded incidents were in the Ore Mountains (in present day Germany and Czechoslovaki) in the 1500's.

Originally termed “Mountain Sickness”, lung cancer killed many of the miners in this area.

The cancer is caused by breathing the radioactive radon in the mines, but was originally attributed to malicious sub-terranean dwarfs. (Why are the dwarfs always the scapegoat?)

Uses Etc.

Used in some spas, but this seems to be a gimmick.

Mostly Radon just causes cancer. When frozen, Radon glows with a bright

phosphorescence from its own radioactivity, turning yellow through orange to red as it is cooled further.

Sources

Lenntech. 2011. Radon. <http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/rn.htm> Accessed 2011 Nov 12.

Robert K Lewis. 2006. A History of Radon. <http://64.253.106.145/Pubs/Radon/HistoryOfRadon.pdf> Accessed 2011 Nov 12.

Alachua County Health Department. Radon Awareness. <http://radon.alachuacounty.us/> Accessed 2011 Nov 12

Cary Academy. History and Background Information of Radon. <http://web1.caryacademy.org/facultywebs/gray_rushin/StudentProjects/ElementWebSites/radon/history.htm> Accessed 2011 Nov 12

Bryant P. 1999 Aug 28. Biodiversity and conservation. <http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/bio65/index.html >. Accessed 1999 Oct 4.