How was radon discovered?

What's in a name? Named for the element Radium. Say what? Radon is pronounced as RAY-don. History and Uses: Radon was discovered by Friedrich Ernst Dorn, a German chemist, in 1900 while studying radium's decay chain. read more

Radon is pronounced as RAY-don. History and Uses: Radon was discovered by Friedrich Ernst Dorn, a German chemist, in 1900 while studying radium's decay chain. Originally named niton after the Latin word for shining, nitens, radon has been known as radon since 1923. Today, radon is still primarily obtained through the decay of radium. read more

High concentrations of radon in homes were discovered by chance in 1985 after the stringent radiation testing conducted at a nuclear power plant entrance revealed that Stanley Watras, an engineer at the plant, was contaminated by radioactive substances. Typical domestic exposures are of approximately 100 Bq/m 3 (2.7 pCi/L) indoors. read more

Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. HOW WAS RADON DISCOVERED: A RADIOACTIVE ELEMENT IS DISCOVERED In 1899 radon became the fifth radioactive element discovered after uranium, thorium, polonium, and radium. In 1900 Friedrich Ernst Dorn observed that radon gas emanated from radium. read more