Radon decaying to polonium in humans, illustration. Radon is a chemical element that is a radioactive gas that occurs in nature. It is being continuou

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Radon decaying to polonium in humans, illustration. Radon is a chemical element that is a radioactive gas that occurs in nature. It is being continuously generated from radioactive isotopes in the Earth's crust. The most stable isotope of radon is radon-222, which has a half-life of days. As a gas, it can be inhaled into the lungs where it decays via alpha particle production to produce polonium-218, a solid that has a half-life of just over three minutes. Further decay takes places, eventually producing a stable isotope of lead. The effects of this can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer. For this illustration with labels, see image C047/4525.

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Size: 5414px × 6456px
Photo credit: © MIKKEL JUUL JENSEN / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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