Comments on: Granite Countertops A Health Threat?

Tests Show Some Emit Radon Levels That Could Cause Concern; Marble Makers Dismiss Fears

[jimfinster]

Scientists agree that radon causes lung cancer in humans. Recent research has focused on specifying the effect of residential radon on lung cancer risk. In these studies, scientists measure radon levels in the homes of people who have lung cancer and compare them to the levels of radon in the homes of people who have not developed lung cancer.

Researchers have combined and analyzed data from all radon studies conducted in Canada and the United States. By combining the data from these studies, scientists were able to analyze data from thousands of people. The results of this analysis demonstrated a slightly increased risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to household radon.

[Diamonddavej]

alphaa10, yes, LNT is a cautious rule of thumb that guides radiation safety in the absence of tangible data, it just annoys seeing it trusted like gospel. I looked on the Build Clean website, they say 0.2 pi curies might not even be safe! That''s a highly questionable claim, its not based on data.

Also, the 4.4 pi curies/liter was measured at the granite surface (see picture), not in a room, your not going to inhale that radon value unless you sellotape your face to the granite table top.

[alphaa10-2009]

DiamondDave said, "Several US studies found(,) below a certain threshold, Radon maybe harmless and might even lower lung cancer risk..."
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Dave, you raise interesting points, but epidemiologists, as a community, are averse to radon exposure. This general approach is based on studies you do not even mention.

No study is "wrong", in and of itself, but contributes only part of the puzzle-- provided the study is done with scientific rigor.

It is the aggregate of studies which continues to suggest radon is a danger, and the linear exposure model is a rational one.

[alphaa10-2009]

You raise interesting points, but epidemiologists, as a community, are averse to radon exposure. This general approach is based on studies you do not even mention.

No study is "wrong", in and of itself, but contributes only part of the puzzle-- provided the study is done with scientific rigor.

It is the aggregate of studies which continues to suggest radon is a danger, and the linear exposure model is a rational one.

[smurfcrusher]

I rather like Nancy''s witty commentary. :)

[libsluv2spit]

cool now i can afford a granite kitchen countertop..that prices are soon to drop down like a rock..*batabing bataboom*

[libsluv2spit]

soon enough scientists would discover we can get cancer listening to Nancy_Naive.

[Diamonddavej]

Rubbish. EPAs radon limits are based on the unproven assumption that no matter how low the radiation dose there is always risk (Linear No-Threshold model - LNT). EPA based their Radon risk estimates on Uranium miners, who were exposed to Radon levels many times the levels found in the worst contaminated homes.

Instead, resent research suggests that the body repairs low levels of radiation damage - that below a threshold, radiation is harmless or may even provoke a repair response that lowers disease risk. Indeed, in 2005, the French National Academy of Medicine (who guide French government policy) rejected the Linear No-Threshold model.

Several US studies found below a certain threshold, Radon maybe harmless and might even lower lung cancer risk e.g. A recent study found a 60% reduction in lung cancer amongst people exposed to low levels (0%u2013150 Bq/m3) of radon gas (Thompson, R.E.; Nelson, D.F.; Popkin, J.H.; Popkin, Z. (2008). Case-control study of lung cancer risk from residential radon exposure in Worcester County, Massachusetts).

[libsluv2spit]

You clearly were never hit in the head with a rock...



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Posted by Nancy_Naive at 07:04 PM : Jul 25, 2008
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ohhh I am so sure you have enough exprience on that to know

[libsluv2spit]

Well, when you look at it from the cow`s point of view there`s some sort of a cancer eating them...


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Posted by Nancy_Naive at 07:01 PM : Jul 25, 2008
+ report abuse

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or you calling the chef who served you your burger a murderer..

[jackie0428]

I''m in favor of covering Nancy and SgtRDS and McVet with 50 tons of granite, just to see if it makes any difference in how annoying they are.

[janinediluzi]

I own a Custom Marble and Granite company, and this is insane. Here is some information that is provided to us to give to our customers. I hope you people don''t listen to the lies. CBS should do a story on this!!

Solid Surface, The Journal of the Solid Surface Industry (Volume 1 Number 1) that was published several weeks ago, included an article entitled "Granite & Radon". The introduction to the article stated "Scientific research poses disturbing questions about the safety of granite countertops" and copies of this article have circulated around the stone industry raising questions about radon gas emissions from granite countertops. The key

[janinediluzi]

I own a Custom Marble and Granite company, and this is insane. Here is some information that is provided to us to give to our customers. I hope you people don''t listen to the lies. CBS should do a story on this!!

Solid Surface, The Journal of the Solid Surface Industry (Volume 1 Number 1) that was published several weeks ago, included an article entitled "Granite & Radon". The introduction to the article stated "Scientific research poses disturbing questions about the safety of granite countertops" and copies of this article have circulated around the stone industry raising questions about radon gas emissions from granite countertops. The key

[janinediluzi]

I own a Custom Marble and Granite company, and this is insane. Here is some information that is provided to us to give to our customers. I hope you people don''t listen to the lies. CBS should do a story on this!!

Solid Surface, The Journal of the Solid Surface Industry (Volume 1 Number 1) that was published several weeks ago, included an article entitled "Granite & Radon". The introduction to the article stated "Scientific research poses disturbing questions about the safety of granite countertops" and copies of this article have circulated around the stone industry raising questions about radon gas emissions from granite countertops. The key

[georgew1956]

they have to get peoples attention somehow obama is killing the pubs with his world tour.

[alphaa10-2009]

IRLiberal asked, "What about goverment buildings and courthouses across the USA that are - quite literally - covered in marble? You''d think that would be a bigger issue. Truth is, this article is the result of a reporter looking to meet a quota for a story..."
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The radon issue is about "granite", one of the strongest natural sources of radon.

Compared to granite, marble is not on the radar, even if both are used primarily on building exteriors.

Nor is marble used much indoors-- where the threat comes from accumulated radon gas.

The slow news day is yours. Speed it up by checking the web about radon sources. All rocks emit some radiation, but the issue is about unreasonable and preventable threats to health and safety.

[shmowry1]

Hmm, so what about Yosemite? You know that valley that''s just a big granite tub? So are we slowly being poisoned by it? Didn''t think so.

[jcr103]

Kind of ironic. For once it''s the rich who are confronted with a environmental threat rather than the poor.

[kylerkeith]

The address listed on Build Clean''s website doesn''t even exist. Nice investigative journalism CBS. Who did the research, DAN RATHER??

[tomanlo]

I put my bowling ball on my granite countertop so I could polish it. The darned thing rolled off and landed on my foot breaking 3 toes. I demand a warning label on granite countertops stating it is unsafe to put bowling balls on granite countertops.