Radioactive elements tend to be located naturally in the Earth's crust, soil, rocks, water, and even air. Key radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium, radium, and polonium are found in varying levels throughout the Earth's crust and environment. Uranium and thorium are abundant in the Earth's crust and decay to produce other radioactive elements like radium and radon gas. Radon gas, originating from the decay of uranium and radium, can be found in air and sometimes accumulates indoors. Some radioactive elements are also present in trace amounts in water and plants. In summary, radioactive elements are primarily found in:
- The Earth's crust (in soil and rocks)
- Water sources
- Air (radon gas)
- Plants and food (from soil absorption)
They tend to cluster in mineral ores and are more common in elements with atomic numbers greater than 82, where nuclei become increasingly unstable. Natural radioactive elements include uranium, thorium, radium, radon, and polonium, which occur due to their long-lived decay chains in the Earth's crust.
