I'm not sure what I said that you are disagreeing with. I never suggested that radon was chemically toxic, and the short half life of Ra means that (in a sealed environment) a steady state distribution of radon and its short-lived decay products is reached relatively quickly, which results in ongoing alpha and beta emission. Living and breathing in a sufficiently high steady-state concentration of radon (and its short-lived decay products) puts one at risk for ongoing radiation exposure through long-term low-dose exposure. This is a standard environmental concern in the mining industry or in basements and lower levels of some buildings, where individuals may spend a lot of time. This is nothing new, and it is the main reason that buyers have radon testing done in the basements of houses during a buyer's inspection. That was how I interpreted the OP's risk assessment and the recent article that has been the subject of so much concern. I tend to think that any type of reasonable ventilation will dramatically mitigate the risk, but in any case, the rate of production of radon from radium in the watches represents the data needed for any calculations.
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