What else do we know?
- Radon was discovered in the late 1800’s by Canadian scientists Harriet Brooks and Ernst Rutherford at McGill University. Its ability to cause cancer was discovered in the 1950-1970’s in Canadian uranium miners. Very high residential radon was 1st discovered in the 1980’s.
- Radon emits alpha particle radiation, which, as it has mass, is very different to the more commonly known (and less dangerous) x-ray radiation that is made up of photons (light). For a given dose, alpha particle radiation deposits much more energy per unit of distance (what is called higher ‘linear energy transfer’) compared to x-rays, making it more hazardous.
- Radon has a half-life of 3.8 days, meaning that, in that period of time, 50% of a given amount of radon will have emitted an alpha particle and transformed into the next element in the chain of radioactive decay – in this case, solid radioactive polonium-210.
What the science says:
In his 1904 book Radioactivity, Rutherford described the first experiments showing that radon – which he had called the ‘radium emanation’ – arose from the earth and accumulated in caves and cellars with undisturbed air.
Reference: Rutherford, E. Radioactivity of the Atmosphere and Ordinary Materials. Radioactivity. Cambridge University Press. 1904, Chapter 11, Section 212, pages 357-362.
