 Radon has a half life of 3.8 days. Radon comes from the breakdown of Radium which comes from the breakdown of Uranium.As you can see, because of the slow decay of Uranium (4.47 billion years) and Radium (1620 years) Radon has an abundant source for a long time to come.When radon breaks down it releases Polonium, Bismuth and Lead these are the Radon Decay Products (RDPs) the particles are electrically charged and CAN stick to other material like dust, floors, walls, clothing and lung tissue. |
Radon and RDPs are breathed in. |
 Alpha particles are slow and large, having little penetrating power. On the other hand, because of their large size they can damage living cells if they break down when in contact with those cells, such as lung tissue. |