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Chapter 20: Problem 76

Argon gas is inert, so it poses no serious health risks. However, if significant amounts of radon are inhaled into the lungs, lung cancer is a possible result. Explain the health risk differences between argon gas and radon gas.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The health risk differences between argon gas and radon gas stem from their distinct properties. Argon gas, being a noble and thus inert gas, does not react chemically with other elements or compounds when inhaled, posing no significant health risks. It is a stable, non-toxic gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Conversely, radon gas, which is radioactive, emits ionizing radiation during decay. When inhaled, radon and its decay products attach to lung tissue, releasing radiation that can damage cells' DNA, potentially leading to lung cancer. Hence, compared to argon, radon is a more hazardous gas due to its radioactivity.

Step by step solution

01

1. Understand the properties of Argon gas and Radon gas

Argon gas is a noble gas, which is inert in nature. This means it does not react with other elements or compounds under normal conditions and has very low chemical reactivity. On the other hand, radon gas is a radioactive gas produced from the decay of radium, which is a product of uranium decay.
02

2. Explain the inertness of Argon gas

Argon is part of the noble gases group in the periodic table, which have full valence electron shells, making them very stable and chemically unreactive. Due to its inert property, argon gas does not pose any serious health risks as it does not engage in chemical reactions with other elements or compounds when inhaled into the human body. Moreover, it is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic gas.
03

3. Explain the radioactivity of Radon gas

Radon is a radioactive gas, which means it has unstable nuclei and emits ionizing radiation during its decay process. When radon decays, it produces radioactive particles called 'radon daughters'. When inhaled, radon gas and its radon daughters stick to the airways and lung tissue, where they can release radiation. This ionizing radiation can cause damage to the lung cells' DNA, which can lead to mutations and possibly the development of lung cancer over time.
04

4. Compare the health risks posed by Argon gas and Radon gas

While argon gas is inert and does not pose any significant health risks, radon gas is radioactive and can potentially cause damage to the lungs when inhaled in large amounts. The ionizing radiation emitted by radon and its decay products can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer, making radon a more hazardous gas compared to argon.
05

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the health risk differences between argon gas and radon gas are due to their distinct properties. Argon gas is inert and does not cause any serious health issues as it remains chemically unreactive. However, the radioactivity of radon gas makes it dangerous, as its decay particles can damage lung cells when inhaled and increase the risk of lung cancer.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A cylinder fitted with a movable piston initially contains 2.00 moles of \(\mathrm{O}_{2}(g)\) and an unknown amount of \(\mathrm{SO}_{2}(g) .\) The oxygen is known to be in excess. The density of the mixture is 0.8000 $\mathrm{g} / \mathrm{L}\( at some \)T\( and \)P$ . After the reaction has gone to completion, forming \(\mathrm{SO}_{3}(g),\) the density of the resulting gaseous mixture is 0.8471 \(\mathrm{g} / \mathrm{L}\) at the same \(T\) and \(P\) . Calculate the mass of \(\mathrm{SO}_{3}\) formed in the reaction.

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