Radon Emissions From Granite

Granite is very popular as material for buildings and homes especially as kitchen countertops because of their beauty durability and function.

Radon emissions from granite.

Not all the radiation coming from the granite that makes the clicking sound comes from radon producing radium. Here are some frequently asked questions about radon and the risks associated with granite. Both articles reported on elevated levels of radon a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer being emitted by some granite countertops. 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.

In fact up to 95 of the geiger counter clicks may come from the potassium. Some granite countertops have dangerously high emissions of radiation particularly radon gas. Therefore radon emission is directly proportional to radium content it is likely that radiation damage caused by uranium imparts a pinkish or reddish color to certain minerals in the granite. People love granite countertops though some may worry that it will emit radon a colorless odorless radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of rocks and natural stones.

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 air. Granite countertop radon emissions researchers currently studying the most commonly used granite in kitchen countertops have found that all the 55 samples they ve tested emit radon radiation at. Radium is the immediate precursor to radon in the uranium decay series. While natural rocks such as granite may emit radiation and radon gas the levels attributable to such sources are not typically high.

So are granite countertops a real risk. Experts agree that most. Radon originating in the soil beneath homes is a more common problem and a far larger public health risk than radon from granite building materials. This is a colorless gas that comes from decaying uranium.