Granite: Another thing to worry about?
24
July
7/24/2008:
Maybe the “luxury” of granite countertops isn’t worth it anymore?
Or this just a “scare tactic” to help competing vendors or those in the field of radiation detection?
Today’s NY Times mentions:
“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. “We’ve been hearing from people all over the country concerned about high readings”
I can only imagine the possibilities. Like at the liquor store: “I’d like a nice red that goes with Radon”
Additionally, “The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day.“
I wonder if home radon test kit sales will increase the local Home Depot?
Hoboken, real estate, granite counter tops, Radon
21. Silvia Osante | July 29th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
We understand why homeowners would be alarmed by this story, but the Marble Institute of America would like to assure people that research shows granite countertops pose no threat.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Reports and repeated independent studies have shown granite countertops pose no health hazard.
-EPA stated Friday: “EPA has no reliable data to conclude that types of granite used in countertops are significantly increasing indoor radon levels.” (http://iaq.custhelp.com/cgibin/iaq.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php)
-University of Akron researchers found no threat. (www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/radontesting_u-akron2008.pdf)
An independent scientific analysis of a variety of studies shows that, accounting for normal airflow in the typical home, radon contributed by granite countertops ranges from 0.01 – 0.02 pCi/L – levels that are 200 to 400 times lower than the EPA guideline of 4 pCi/L.
-By some measures, the amount of radon emitted by a granite countertop is less than one millionth of that already present in household air from other sources. Many granite countertops do not emit radon at all, and those treated with sealant reduce emissions even further.
Silvia Osante
Cohn & Wolfe on behalf of The Marble Institute of America