If the definition of an element is a chemical substance that cannot be broken down into other substances, then aren’t the radioactive elements just extra-spicy lead?
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You are thinking of the chemical definition rather than the physics definition. The chemical definition of an element is only made of the same type of atom.
In physics, an element is defined by how many protons the nucleus has. There are also many isotopes of an element. These have a different number of neutrons.
You then have ions with different number of electrons however these are completely ignored in nuclear physics.
Isotopes decay because they are unstable, inside the nucleus the electromagnetic force is trying to tear it apart and the strong force is keeping it together.
There are many stable isotopes along the chain. And lead is the one most commonly hit upon by heavy elements like Uranium. Once it reaches a stable isotope, the decay chain stops
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