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When did radon become a health problem?
In the 1950s radon was recognized as an indoor air pollutant, prompting further research into its health effects in the 1970s. The research clearly labeled radon as a carcinogen, but it wasn’t until 2005 that U.S. Surgeon General, Richard H.
When was the hazard posed by radon first discovered?
PROPERTIES: Radon is a gaseous highly radioactive element discovered by English physicist Ernest Rutherford in 1899. The discovery is also credited to German physicist Friedrich Ernst Dorn in 1900. More specifically, Rutherford discovered radon’s alpha radiation and Dorn discovered that radium was releasing a gas.
Why Is radon a public health concern?
Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked.
What is the history of radon?
Radon was the fifth radioactive element to be discovered, in 1899 by Ernest Rutherford and Robert B. Owens at McGill University in Montreal, after uranium, thorium, radium, and polonium. In 1899, Pierre and Marie Curie observed that the gas emitted by radium remained radioactive for a month.
What was radon used for in the past?
Radon decays into radioactive polonium and alpha particles. This emitted radiation made radon useful in cancer therapy. Radon was used in some hospitals to treat tumours by sealing the gas in minute tubes, and implanting these into the tumour, treating the disease in situ.
What is radon exposure?
Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless. Radon is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces.
How did they discover radon?
Discovery of Radon The history of radon began when Friedrich Ernst Dorn, a physicist and university professor in Germany, first discovered that radon, a radioactive substance, was emitted from radium in 1900.
Who created radon?
The German chemist Friedrich Ernst Dorn has been credited with the discovery of radon in 1900. He discovered the new gas, which he referred to as radium emanation, while studying the decay chain of radium. Radium was discovered just two years prior by the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie.
How does radon affect human health?
How Does Radon Affect Your Health? When you breathe in radon, it gets into the lining of your lungs and gives off radiation. Over a long time, that can damage the cells there and lead to lung cancer. Radon is the second biggest cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.
How would you medically determine whether you have been exposed to radon progeny?
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed to radon and radon progeny?
- Radon in human tissues is not detectable by routine medical testing.
- Some radon progeny can be detected in urine and in lung and bone tissue.
Why was radon discovered?
Radon was discovered by Friedrich Ernst Dorn, a German chemist, in 1900 while studying radium’s decay chain. Since radium was expensive and in great demand for the treatment of cancer, radon gas, which is a natural decay product of radium, also was thought to have similar curative powers.
What is a fun fact about radon?
Radon is an odorless and invisible radioactive gas naturally released from rocks, soil, and water. Radon can get trapped inside homes and buildings and build up in the air. Over time, breathing in high levels of radon can cause lung cancer.