Radon - Periodic Table of Videos

[TheTytonidae]

@Aviatorsmith Alpha radiation can also be dangerous is a source is ingested. While I am unsure of this, I think that this means that inhaled radon (which would emit alpha particles) might cause damage to DNA.

[Northcodedotno]

Our class room was shut down because they discovered it had 4 times as much radon as recommended! I had only used it for 4 months but think of the teachers that had been there for many years! Anyways now I have to spend an extra 10min before I go to school trying to figure out which classroom to go to.

[Klodvig105]

Where I live, bedrock contains quite a lot of radioactive materials, and as they decay, the radon leves are sometimes quite high. In fact, they are the biggest part of the background radiation here.

[onthecuttingedge2005]

does radon glow brighter than tritium?

[pug6666]

Ok i know that radiation is harmful but what makes it harmful?

[Aviatorsmith]

@pug6666 There are different types of radiation. The radiation that is harmful to humans are mostly gamma radiation and neutron radiation. These forms of radiation are able to penetrate deep into your cells and alter the chemistry of your DNA. The gamma radiation is of high energy and can ionise the atoms in your DNA and mutate it. Atoms in your DNA can also absorb the neutrons and change it's atomic mass. This may cause the processes within the cell to break down.

[butanuku]

@wyatt9600 You mean, his hair?

[butanuku]

Why do people who call themselves scientists have to have funny overgrown hair?

[ASSNEWSOFFICIALCH]

Whoops. I meant month.

[ASSNEWSOFFICIALCH]

I mean, a month.

[ASSNEWSOFFICIALCH]

@ASSNEWSOFFICIALCH I mean a month.

[ASSNEWSOFFICIALCH]

@werothegreat I don't get it. So if you have high levels of radon, does that mean there's polonium on the ground? Because I'm pretty sure the longest-lived isotope lasts shorter than a day.

[butanuku]

Respond to this video... No there are a lot of little devils with their little devilish families living underground, including the brothers Polonium and Uranium. They keep trying to kill each other to see who is going to kill you first. Ah! It's cousin Radon for sure! He is always interfering and will definitely kill you! Get the heck out of your inferno! Before you get sucked in!

[happyseralstudent012]

I brought a radon detector to monitor the amount of radon that was from my  uranium/radium collection. In my garage the amount of radon was ~13 piCi/L.

After removing my uranium collection to an outside location the amount of radon in my garage was at ~11.2 piCi/L. I found out later that my town was a radon hot spot and I was one of the few people who knew. In my room radon levels are amount 1-2 piCi/L. I try to spend less than 5 minutes in my garage per day. The limit for radon is 4piCi/L.

[butanuku]

@happyseralstudent012 So that's it takes for you to get into your garage, turn on the car and get the hell out of there in 5 minutes. You must be 85 like the guy above. Dear Geez!

[butanuku]

Respond to this video... I bought mine at Home Depot for $9.95. Pretty cheap! Now I know how I'm gonna die! Oh and it was a bargain! No surprises! Pretty good deal! Get your too!

[softilol]

our house is made of some grey umm bricks that have alot of radioctivity ( we acctually have a device with that popping sound that show you radioctivity ) so is that radon that is here or what? its kinds disturbind i have to sleep away ( in the middle of my room) well atleast my dad say its best to keep away from wall while alsleep.

[Aviatorsmith]

@softilol Not all radioactivity is from radon. There are a lot of naturally occuring isotopes that give off radiation.

[funnystuff1284]

how does radon get in the air isnt radon WAYYYYY heavier then air?

[pooppeeyoupants]

@funnystuff1284 im afraid its not flowing as high as the others because its so heavy, and if u hav a balloon of it, it would sink like a 50-pound darbell, but im just guessing that its only floating somewhere near the ground. JUST A GUESS, DONT TAKE IT LIKE REAL (unless, of course, my guess is true).

[wingo2360]

we should worry bec. japan tsunmai radition spiill!!!!!!!!!!!!!



[USMC12694]

I live in Maine, where we have a lot of granite. I don't have a basement myself, but many people have problems with radon gas in the air, like he was saying in the video. Interesting, but dangerous.

[DerektheDuctTape]

Radon is Over Rated. 

[Superchickenman159]

@DerektheDuctTape i don't get it

[DerektheDuctTape]

@Superchickenman159 It is a concern, but it is overrated, over reaction. Radon is a very heavy gas, the heaviest of such gases. Making it very difficult to creap up your basement, then your 1st floors. Most buildings have radon in them, unless it is a rediculasly high level, you will survive it. You are probably being expose it radon right now, just may not be the high levels. Even if it is a rediculas high level, you must spend a rediculas long time in there in oder to affect you.

[Superchickenman159]

@DerektheDuctTape i get it

[perazaroberto2]

thankyu

[CedesLoveBby]

What are the chemical and physical properties of radon ?

[fablelink4]

he cut his hair!!

[KingsBlend1]

@fablelink4

It does appear that way. I've always thought of the professors hair as a giant heat sink for his brain. I hope he doesn't melt now that he's over-clocked!!! lol

[Aashish343]

profesor with cloudy hair is your hair radioactive cuz you r too INTELIGENT jk , i love this guys hair

[Sayyidzz]

i think that if people understood radioactivity they'd calm down about it

[DerektheDuctTape]

@Sayyidzz well said.

[dradeel]

There are some places in Norway where you will have a lot of Radon coming up from the ground, and houses will have "Radon barriers/ventilation systems", where the gas is easily being lead away from the house and out into the open air, so that it doesn't accumulate in the houses.

I have the impression that this is a very normal feature in housebuilding where there is known to be an abundance of Radon in the ground. In conclusion: it's not too much to be worried about, really.

[lexichronicle2]

you can buy radon barrier membrane from the trade places now that's laid in the foundations of the house if you live somewhere with a lot of it floating around below. the plastic is green, whereas normal barrier is black or blue

[vmelkon]

@lexichronicle2 And what do people do about poisons in gasoline and asphalt and roofs and bisphenol in many plastics? They can't do much can they?

[Techn0Junki3]

most of the elements from about 89 - 91 are formed from the decomposition of uranium

[maxryde00]

radon <3

[KarbineKyle]

Radon is usually found from the decay of Radium-226, which is found in trace amounts in Uranium and Thorium ores for example. Most stable actinides decay by alpha particles (Helium-4 nuclei), so it looses 2 protons and 2 neutrons. Also, Radon-222, the most stable, has a short half-life of only 3.8 days, and it decays by alpha into Polonium-218. The decay looks like this in normal conditions:

He-4 = Alpha Particle (Helium Nucleus)

Ra-226 -> He-4 = Rn-222

Rn-222 -> He-4 = Po-218

[getzkazer]

wikipedia says that radon glows red in tubes under electricity

[traviscfs]

One quick addition to the last comment--you've probably noticed a similar lamp already--generally in dark spaces that need exit signs such as movie theaters the signs are made with neon tubing formed in the shape of the word "Exit" with a phosphorescent "glow in the dark" paint, usually green in color, on the inside walls of the tubes, which is excited into glowing by the radioactivity of the gas inside, a hydrogen isotope known as tritium. These tubes will glow w/o electricity for 10-20 years.

[traviscfs]

Good question--actually you can make a lamp out of any gas--even non-noble ones---including h20 under low pressure--radon could be used in a lamp--however radon gas in large enough quantity actually glows on its own--yellow into the red orange color scale---however if it were used in lamps--and in the past it has been used in vacuum tubes--it would be most likely used in a phosphor coated lamp where the radiation given by the radium causes the phosphor paint on the walls to glow and emit light.

[kpshc707]

more radioactive stuff

[LechuCzechu]

I have a question: Radon is an inert gas. Argon, Xenon and Neon are also noble gases. It is possible to make a lamp by exciting those gases with high voltage. Is it also possible with Radon? I have never heard about lamp containg Radon. I wonder if it could be done.

[Pyrotecnican]

What a great question. I have never thought of it in that way... I wonder whitch colour the lamp would have..

[LechuCzechu]

I investigited more and some say that Radon would emit light of frequency beyond (or below) visible light. Anyway, it would be fantastic to test it in practice and know for sure. And, fortunatelly, Radon is mostly an alfa particles emmiter. So it can be shielded just by glass tube of the lamp - no radiaton hazards (unless the glass wouldn't be broken). Anyone willing to test it :P ?

[dbc616]

My hypothesis is that radon would probably glow a very dark violet color, if it glows at all.

As you go down the group: He-orange, Ne-red, Ar-light blue, Kr-blue-violet, Xe-violet, (Rn-dark violet)

[vmelkon]

@dbc616 I believe it is said that it glows red and in liquid form, it glows a strong orange color.

[kmncztms]

Dont know why but i think it would be white

[Airsofter1995]

The reason you've never heard about Radon lamps is probably becouse it CAN be used in a lamp but it is radioactive and has quite a short halflife so its gone in a few weeks or so.

[liquidoxygen0]

LechuCzechu: I don't know. Radon has been known to cause lung cancer if it is inhaled as he said, plus it is the heaviest of all gaseous elements, being eight times heavier than air. Plus, as Airsofter1995 rightly stated, it's very radioactive. Its half-life is about three and a half days.

[minerofblood]

radon isn't a hazard unless you breath it in and it decays into a daughter nucleus which is a solid rather than just breathing out the radon gas again, then you have problems of a radioactive substance that can remain in the body for a long time.

[CracknHack]

You just have to know, whether you are the guy next door or not, because Radon does not creep

up in every house, only in every second house, or so.

[minerofblood]

so your saying not all houses are made out of bricks, rocks etc martials that come from the ground.

rocks have trace amounts of uranium which decays into radium then radium decays into radon, you can breath in radon safely as it is usually inhaled in then out, but it can decay into a solid which is also radioactive, however this cases are rare.

[xxCCBBxx]

this is proving that the scare of radon in granite counter tops is a legitimate reason to not buy granite counters

[minerofblood]

radiation isn't that dangerous, put it this way - i could put a gun to your head, you'd freak out!

or i could give you a rock and you'd be like wtf? and i'd say "i will give you 5$ to take this rock" and you'd be fine alright. but what you dont know the rock is a sample of uranium.

radiation isn't as dangerous as it is made out to be.

[xxCCBBxx]

thats the stupidist comment i have ever heard! sayin radiation is not dangerous at all! you make me laugh

[minerofblood]

no it is dangerous right? its just over rated, not as dangerous as its made out to be, cars kill more poeple than radiation does, its safe enough to have a nuclear reactor near you or be a uranium miner and live a normal healthy life.

gamma rays penetrate alot but still can be considered danger, alpha only ionize tops of your dead skin so you should be safe, beta has a moderate ionizing effect though can travel a few meters.

[Bimm3rcc]

yeah... Chernobyl didnt kill so many people..

and the atom bombs didnt kill so many people either.

[dego1168]

alot of radiation is actually harmless unless you try to eat it. like plutonium. it cant affect you with a strike from outside

[xxCCBBxx]

plutonium is so dangerous if your within a few meters of it with out protection you can get radiation poisoning... its so radioactive its hot to the touch

[miesrah12]

it is so radioactive, even with protection, it will be like holding a burning piece of coal

[bionerd23]

i find it funny when people are sitting at bars, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, talking in fear about what they read lately: the dangerous radon that can cause lung cancer! i think radioactivity is highly overrated in most people's minds, at least compared to what most people expose themselves to on purpose in everyday life and take that as 'normal' and rather harmless, even though it's far worse for your health than a day in your cellar.

[minerofblood]

In the United States, tobacco is often fertilized with the mineral apatite, which partially starves the plant of nitrogen to produce a more desired flavor. Apatite, however, contains radium, lead 210, and polonium 210 — which are known radioactive carcinogens.

yes radiation is over rated, as the backround radiation you receive every day is a small dose, you get a higher dose flying, due to cosmic rays.

[rocksparadox]

@bionerd23 But what about the cumulative effects of dditives like aspartame, monosodiumglutamate and others to general consumption?

Cigarettes and alcohol(commercials) have warnings against use or dosage but many foodrelated products do not have descriptions about their longterm effects for instance.

[werothegreat]

@bionerd23 the dangerous part of radon is not the radioactivity itself, but the fact that after it gives off radiation, the radon (a gas, and breathable) transmutes into polonium (a solid, not breathable). your lungs don't really handle solids being inside them very well.

[bionerd23]

@werothegreat

my lungs are able to handle "solids" nicely. ;)

the bronchus are covered with ciliated epithelium which is able to transport stuff up quite well (like dust, pollen, spores, etc. etc. which i am inhaling ALL the time). i'll feel an odd stimulus, cough, and it's gone.

however, the daughters of radon are - same as radon itself - short lived alpha-emitters, so they alpha decay in my lungs many times... and that's what the unprotected (non-squamous) cells really do NOT like at all!

[sandflyfever]

nasty radon