Re: Do people need the element neon to survive earth

Neon is not a required element in human physiology. People can live without neon, but it isn't toxic to them either. Scientists have experimented with the effects of neon on animals and people for decades (because it has been used in air mixtures in diving and in the space program), without finding any ill effects.

The reason why neon is neither beneficial nor harmful to humans is that it is a "noble" gas. Like helium, argon and others, neon is special in that it does not react well with other elements to form chemical compounds. Atoms of elements normally interact by sharing electrons. Electrons in atoms are arranged in energy shells, and elements are most stable when they have full shells. Elements that are important in living organisms, like carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, do not have full shells, so they react with other elements to share electrons. The noble gasses all have full shells, so they don't need to share electrons with other elements to fill their shells. The name "noble" comes from the fact that they do not react with other elements. (If they were discovered today, we might name them "snob" elements!)