Is Granite Radon Dangerous

At issue is whether some granite countertops emit dangerous levels of radiation especially the gas radon which is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.

Is granite radon dangerous.

Are the levels of radon gas and radiation emissions from granite countertops dangerous to humans or animals. Granite countertops source of dangerous radon emissions by lucy campbell radon the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking may be leaking from your countertops if you have granite. Radon is a cancer causing natural radioactive gas that you can t see smell or taste the environmental. Some granite countertops have dangerously high emissions of radiation particularly radon gas.

I deal with these half truths and the misinformation about granite and marble every week much of it comes from those companies that compete with the natural stone market. The us epa recommends taking corrective measures for radon levels at or above 4 pci l the us epa encourages you to consider reducing your radon levels for readings between 2 and 4. Is it true radon from granite countertops can make you sick. So are your granite worktops dangerous.

But marble manufacturers say flat out that radiation in granite is not dangerous. In fact in a recent study by consumer reports none of the granite samples tested were found to emit any radon at all. Other building materials may emit radon such as soapstone brick or concrete but as with granite these materials are unlikely to increase radon levels in the home to levels above those already present in nature. However since the granite is not porous and exposed surfaces are treated with sealant it is harder for the radon escape from the granite than from more porous stones such as sandstone.

Can your granite or quartz worktop kill you. While radon gas and radiation emission levels attributable to granite are not typically high there are simply too many variables to generalize about the emissions from granite countertops. This is not the only method for measuring the amount of radon coming from the granite but it is the most economical. Here are the facts about granite countertops along with the myths and rumors.

In this article we are going to try to deal with these questions. Granite is very popular as material for buildings and homes especially as kitchen countertops because of their beauty durability and function.