Discovery Information
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Who: Fredrich Ernst Dorn |
When: 1898 |
Where: Germany |
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Name Origin
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From radium. |
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Sources
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Formed from the decay of radium in the earth's crust.
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Uses
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Used to treat some forms of cancer, also used in earthquake prediction. |
Although some physicians once believed that radon can be used therapeutically, there is no evidence for this belief and radon
is not currently in medical use, at least in the developed world.
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Notes
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On average, there is one atom of radon in 1 x 1021 molecules of air. Radon can be found in some spring waters and hot springs. The towns of Misasa, Japan, and Bad Kreuznach,
Germany boast radium-rich springs which emit radon.
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Radon is the heaviest noble gas and one of the heaviest gases at room temperature.
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Previously known as Emanation. Radon is a health threat in homes built on granite and radon detectors should be used in the
basement of homes. High radon levels can often be mitigated by utilizing ventilation. At ordinary temperatures radon is a
colourless gas. When cooled below the freezing point, radon exhibits a brilliant phosphorescence which becomes yellow as the
temperature is lowered and orange-red at the temperature of liquid air. The main hazard is from inhalation of the element
and its decay products which are collected on dust in the air. Radon is present in some spring waters.
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Radon is a radiological poison and a carcinogen. Some of the daughter products from radioactive decay of radon (such as polonium) are also toxic. Since radon is a gas, its decay products form a very fine dust that is both toxic and radioactive. This
can potentially stick in the lungs and do far more damage than the radon itself.
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