Which Granite Countertops Have More Radon Than Others

Radon coming from common soil under homes can be in high enough concentrations to be of great concern.

Which granite countertops have more radon than others.

The soil is a richer source of potential radon gas and a bigger threat to public health than granite countertops. Since basements tend to be on level to or below ground soil and have less ventilation than the upper floors concentrations of. These radioactive elements are solids but over time they may decay into radon says the environmental protection agency epa. The reports were about granite countertops that contain radium which can emit radon a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

Radon is an odorless colorless gas produced by the breakdown of uranium that seeps out of the earth more commonly in some places on the planet than others. A specially trained and qualified radiation professional may be equipped to test for other radon sources such as granite or diffusion from drinking water when diagnosing the nature and source of your home s radon problem. Some granite countertops have been found to give off trace amounts of radon and reporters cited a few kitchens with radon levels as high as 25 times the epa s safety limit of 4 picocuries per liter of. Are the levels of radon in granite countertops harmful.

Granite countertops and radon gas science and technical committee of the american. Granite naturally contains more of these elements than many other stones and is therefore a little bit more radioactive than other natural surfaces such as slate or marble. But the radiation levels are still extremely low compared to the amount of radiation people are exposed to from other sources over the normal course of a year. That position as of early this week was much more nuanced than the institute claims noting that some granite used for countertops may contribute variably to indoor radon levels.

The story here appears to be that some granite countertops have been found to emit high levels of radon a strongly carcinogenic natural radioactive element.