Radon is a colorless, odorless gas, a radioactive byproduct of radium. It is part of the natural radioactive decay series starting with uranium-238. It is radioactive with a half-life of 3.8 days, decaying by the emission of alpha particles to polonium, bismuth, and lead in successive steps.

Polonium-218 and lead-214 are decay products of radon-222.

radon-222
Radium-226 decays by alpha particle radiation to an inert gas, radon-222, which also decays by alpha particle radiation. Due to the short half-life of radon -222, 3.8 days, there is a high probability it will decay in the body when breathed in, emitting alpha particle radiation in the body.

Radon-222 is generated in the uranium series from the alpha decay of radium-226, which has a half-life of 1600 years. Radon-222 itself alpha decays to polonium-218 with a half-life of approximately 3.82 days, making it the most stable isotope of radon. Its final decay product is stable lead-206.

When radon gas enters the body, it exposes the lungs to small amounts of radiation. In small quantities, experts say this is harmless. However, in persistent exposures or larger quantities, radon can damage the cells of the lining of the lungs, increasing a person’s chance of developing lung cancer.

Steps you can take to measure and reduce radon levels include:

1. Purchasing a radon test kit. Find a Radon Test Kit or Measurement and Mitigation Professional.
2. Testing your home or office.
3. Sending the kit to appropriate sources to determine radon level.
4. Fixing your home if radon levels are high.

Not exactly. For starters, radon is a gas and radium is a solid. Radium is produced by the natural decay of uranium, a radioactive element found in nature in low quantities.

The time required for a radioactive substance to lose 50 percent of its radioactivity by decay is known as the half-life. The half lives are 3.5 days for radium-224, 1,600 years for radium-226, and 6.7 years for radium- 228, the most common isotopes of radium, after which each forms an isotope of radon.

They are called the “radon progeny” (formerly “radon daughters”). Each radioactive element on the list gives off either alpha radiation or beta radiation — and sometimes gamma radiation too — thereby transforming itself into the next element on the list. Lead-206, the last element on the list, is not radioactive.

Mental health experts generally agree that people dealing with the presence of high levels of radon in their homes are likely to have related psychological problems if they are prone to other forms of stress.

The half-life of radon-220 is 55 seconds and it decays via alpha decay to polonium-216. It is important to note that radon is a noble gas, whereas all its decay products are metals.

Radon gas is radioactive, and if you breathe in sufficiently concentrated radon levels for a long enough period of time, you significantly increase your risk of developing lung cancer and other health problems. Radon gas only becomes dangerous when it is trapped indoors; outside, it dissipates into the open air.

Radon does not naturally occur in soil in measurable quantities, but comes from the breakdown of uranium, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Almost all types of soil contain some radon.

Radon is one stage in the decay process of uranium. When one element “decays” and becomes a different element altogether, it gives off radiation in the form of alpha and beta particles and gamma rays.