Elements · ← At Astatine · Fr Francium →
Radon is a natural radioactive gas that seeps into homes and raises lung cancer risk.
| Symbol | Rn |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 86 |
| Atomic mass | 222.01758(no standard atomic weight: the element has no stable isotopes or characteristic natural composition; PubChem lists this isotope mass) |
| Group | 18 |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | p-block |
| Category | Noble gas |
| Standard state | Gas |
| Discovered | 1900 |
Source: PubChem, Radon (periodic table data, retrieved 2026-10-19). Group and period follow the standard 18-column periodic table.
Pooling 13 European case-control studies with 7,148 lung cancer cases, Darby and colleagues found lung cancer risk rose 16% per 100 Bq/m3 of usual home radon, with no evidence of a threshold.
As reported in: Darby, Hill, Auvinen et al. (2004). Radon in homes and risk of lung cancer: collaborative analysis of individual data from 13 European case-control studies. BMJ. doi:10.1136/bmj.38308.477650.63
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