Granite Countertops A Health Threat?

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

(CBS)  If you have granite countertops in your home, you might consider testing them for the amounts of radon gas they give off, experts say, due to the potential that those amounts are above levels considered safe.

But marble manufacturers say flat-out that, "Radiation in granite is not dangerous."

Radon is "a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste," the Environmental Protection Agency explains on its Web site. "Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in America, and claims about 20,000 lives annually."

The popularity and demand for granite countertops has grown in the last decade, as have the types of granite available.

The amount of radon in the air is measured in "picoCuries per liter of air," or "pCi/L," and the EPA says 4 pCi/L is the level of radon exposure that requires someone to take action. The agency also says levels lower than that "still pose a risk" and "in many cases, may be reduced."

According to The New York Times, 4 picocuries is "about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day."

The newspaper also reports that, "Allegations that granite countertops may emit dangerous levels of radon and radiation have been raised periodically over the past decade, mostly by makers and distributors of competing countertop materials. The Marble Institute of America has said such claims are "ludicrous" because although granite is known to contain uranium and other radioactive materials like thorium and potassium, the amounts in countertops are not enough to pose a health threat.

Indeed, health physicists and radiation experts agree that most granite countertops emit radiation and radon at extremely low levels. They say these emissions are insignificant compared with so-called background radiation that is constantly raining down from outer space or seeping up from the earth's crust, not to mention emanating from manmade sources like X-rays, luminous watches and smoke detectors.

But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite countertops with radiation measurements several times above background levels."

On The Early Show Friday, Stanley Liebert, quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y. showed co-anchor Harry Smith a chunk of granite countertop emitting 4.4 pCi/L and said, "The probability is we're looking at a problem here, and the granite would actually be removed.

"In the lower levels," Liebert said, "we can usually improve (radon levels) by exchanging air" with systems that "bring fresh air in and exchange it with the air in the kitchen."

He says some granite countertop colors are more potentially troublesome than others: "We're seeing higher results in reds, pinks, purples. However, you've got to test them all."

The only way to know about radon levels from your granite countertops, and in your home in general, is to test for them, and the EPA says, "There are many kinds of low-cost "do-it-yourself" radon test kits you can get through the mail and in hardware stores and other retail outlets. If you prefer, or if you are buying or selling a home, you can hire a qualified tester to do the testing for you. You should first contact your state radon office about obtaining a list of qualified testers. You can also contact a private radon proficiency program for lists of privately certified radon professionals serving your area."

For more on radon in the home, go to the Web site of Build Clean.

[pkwyred]

C.B.S.= CAN BE STUPID!!!
It's not hard to believe that media would have such ridiculous comments on a stone that has been around for centuries. Why are you just now making claim that granite is dangerous to your home envionment??
How about marble in the bathroom or travertine on your floor, oh wait...limestone too.
All of these are natural stones dug out of the earth, which is where radioactivity is born.
You would stand more of a chance having radon in the ground under your house than you would of any dangerous radon in granite.
If in doubt...visit the EPA website, it will tell you, nothing to fret about with your granite countertops!!!!
There. Nuff Said!!!!!

[sdriverrat]

As a native who grew up in Brazil, we are one of the the biggest granite suppliers in the world. Our rate of lung cancer is relatively low; we live and breathe granite. I wonder how much he was paid by the artifical countertop companies to make such a ridiculous claim. Now people, take a deep BREATH and try to INHALE CBS [very dangerous]!!

[C_Urrea]

Did anyone here bother to go to the EPA website and look this up? I think not. They clearly state that there is NO evidence of granite counter tops posing any significant threat to the health and safety of the public.
This is nothing more that junk science and alarmist media.

[ybotheratall]

It was the granite countertop in the kitchen with the radon gas. New game: Clue: Environmental Edition.

[jumkey]

Posted by Gatofeo

Uh-huh. Perhaps you should have invested your educational dollars in science rather than journalism.

The EPA establishes what it considers is an unsafe level of radon in homes. Some granite counter tops apparently give off these unsafe levels of radon, and you can determine this yourself by using cheap easily available tests. A company that performs material tests explains which type seems to be the worst for radon emissions and offers some mitigating factors. The granite counter top industry screams "all counter tops are safe!".

That about summarize it?

And after reading this story you assert that there is bias in the testing company and the reporting agency based on no evidence other than (apparently) your own personal biases.

You did well to change careers I think.

[gatofeo]

In the above news report:
Note that the EPA is not quoted as saying that granite countertops may be dangerous. The EPA is quoted solely on the effects of Radon.
Now, note also that allegations of Radon gas originated from the manufacturers of other types of countertops. Is this really a reputable source for a news report?
Then the New York Times picks it up and unquestioningly repeats the allegations.
And who is "Stanley Liebert, quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y.?"
How do we know that CMT Laboratories is not a front for the manufacturers of plastic countertops? No explanation is given.
I was a journalist for 12 years, 1985 to 1997, and if I''d written such biased drivel in my first Newswriting 101 course I would have received a D grade.
Today''s journalism is garbage. In many cases, newspapers cite other newspapers as the source of their information!
What the heck?
Whenever you read a news report, ask yourself who are the sources, and what do they have to gain? Chances are you''ll recognize bias and sensationalism lurking under the surface.

[l8c6]

I dont know who we will have to blame when old GWB is gone.

Posted by gheemaster38

Blame all the dum sh*it wannabes who have been voting for antisocial ideologies that bully and berate labor into submission while a few of the illusive elite build their capital strengthening their oligarchic rule.

[aztecdakota]

That''s why there are soo many dead people in cemetaries. All them marble gravestones!!!

[gheemaster38]

I dont know who we will have to blame when old GWB is gone.

[brianstillwa]

I sell granite counter tops and have them in my home. For the record, the mantianance required to keep granite looking beautiful consists of applying a sealent once a year, a process that takes approx 1/2 hour. That''s it. As for the expense, considering that a g.c. lasts the life of the home, if cared for, it doesn''t cost any more than a laminate top that requires replacement more frequently.