{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.radon","code":"thing-q1133","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1133/","name":"radon","alternateNames":["radon-195","radon-195m","radon-196","radon-197","radon-197m","radon-198","radon-199","radon-199m","radon-200","radon-201","radon-201m","radon-202"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.MAT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A radioactive noble gas, chemical element 86, formed by the decay of radium in uranium- and thorium-bearing rocks and soils; colourless and odourless, it seeps into buildings and accumulates indoors, and its decay products are the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking according to health authorities.","purpose":"Let an agent explain what radon is and where it comes from, relay measurement, reference levels and mitigation guidance from radiation protection and health authorities, and route questions about a specific building or diagnosis to qualified services.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Noble gas, chemically inert","Radioactive, from the uranium and thorium decay chains","Enters buildings from the ground and accumulates indoors","Health risk is from inhaled decay products"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What radon is.","layers":[{"id":"element","name":"Element","description":"The element.","findings":[{"id":"element-finding","name":"Element","description":"Element.","questions":[{"text":"What is radon, where does it come from and how does it decay?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about radon gas or about another indoor pollutant?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"behaviour","name":"Behaviour","description":"Indoor behaviour.","findings":[{"id":"behaviour-finding","name":"Behaviour","description":"Behaviour.","questions":[{"text":"How does radon enter and accumulate in buildings, and what affects concentration?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits building ventilation?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"measure","name":"Measure","description":"Testing.","layers":[{"id":"methods","name":"Methods","description":"Detectors and duration.","findings":[{"id":"methods-finding","name":"Methods","description":"Methods.","questions":[{"text":"How is radon measured, over what period, and in which units?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which certified services provide testing in the area?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"levels","name":"Levels","description":"Reference levels.","findings":[{"id":"levels-finding","name":"Levels","description":"Levels.","questions":[{"text":"What reference levels do WHO and the national authority set, and how do results compare?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Where is the national radon map published?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"protect","name":"Protect","description":"Health and mitigation.","layers":[{"id":"health","name":"Health","description":"Health effects.","findings":[{"id":"health-finding","name":"Health","description":"Health.","questions":[{"text":"What do health authorities say about radon and lung cancer risk, including for smokers?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the user asking about their own health, which needs a clinician?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"mitigation","name":"Mitigation","description":"Reducing levels.","findings":[{"id":"mitigation-finding","name":"Mitigation","description":"Mitigation.","questions":[{"text":"What mitigation measures do authorities describe, such as sub-slab depressurisation and sealing?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the question about a specific building, which needs a qualified contractor?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"rules","name":"Rules","description":"Regulation and workplaces.","layers":[{"id":"regulation","name":"Regulation","description":"Law and standards.","findings":[{"id":"regulation-finding","name":"Regulation","description":"Regulation.","questions":[{"text":"Which laws, directives and building codes address radon, and what do they require?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits radiation protection generally?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"workplace","name":"Workplace","description":"Occupational exposure.","findings":[{"id":"workplace-finding","name":"Workplace","description":"Workplace.","questions":[{"text":"What rules apply to radon in mines, tunnels and other workplaces?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain radon, its sources and its link to lung cancer.","Report radon maps and testing advice from official agencies.","Recommend that people test their homes in radon-prone areas."],"mustNot":["Dismiss radon as harmless.","Interpret a home measurement as safe or dangerous without the official reference level.","Sell or promote unproven radon cures or products.","Conceal known high radon from tenants or buyers."],"requiresHuman":["Remediation of a building and its effect on occupants."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer among people who never smoked.","Tenants may be exposed without knowing."],"affectedParties":["Residents","Tenants","Underground workers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a natural element; building owners answer for indoor levels and radiation agencies give guidance.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q19609","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"noble gas","type":"related","note":"group 18 element"},{"target":"radium","type":"related","note":"its parent nuclide"},{"target":"radiation protection authority","type":"related","note":"reference levels and workplace rules"},{"target":"lung cancer","type":"related","note":"the health effect that drives regulation"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.radon","Wikidata: Q1133 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1133)","chemical symbol: Rn","CAS number: 10043-92-2","isotopes: Rn-222, Rn-220, Rn-219 naturally occurring"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["atomic number: 86","half-life of radon-222: 3.8 days","reference level: 100-300 Bq per cubic metre - WHO recommends 100 where possible; many countries use 200 or 300","density: about 9.7 kg per cubic metre - heavier than air"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Detected by passive detectors or electronic monitors over days to months","Concentration reported in becquerels per cubic metre","Carbon monoxide and other indoor gases are different hazards","Invisible and odourless gas; detected only by instruments."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain sources and behaviour of radon","relay reference levels and measurement methods","relay mitigation guidance from authorities","route building or health questions to services"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Long-term exposure raising lung cancer risk, sharply higher for smokers","Unmeasured accumulation in basements and ground floors","Short-term tests misrepresenting annual average","Occupational exposure in mines and underground workplaces"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon reference level","ICRP recommendations and IAEA safety standards","EU Basic Safety Standards Directive radon provisions and national radon action plans","Building code radon protection measures in affected areas"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not for anything in ordinary life; used in some research and historically in radiotherapy sources.","radon-222 from the uranium chain, the main indoor isotope","radon-220 or thoron from the thorium chain","radon in groundwater and well water","radon in mines and underground workplaces"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1133: radon","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1133","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Radon","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should radon isotopes be separate entries?","How should national radon maps be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases for individual isotopes; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1133/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1133/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T19:36:31Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:53+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}