Is Granite Radiation Harmful

While granite and other decorative stone can contain some trace natural radioactivity granite countertops are not considered to be a key contributor to radiation in the average home.

Is granite radiation harmful.

This phenomenon is something that even the mainstream press has begun reporting. It is extremely unlikely that radiation from granite countertops would increase annual radiation doses above normal natural background levels. These radioactive elements are solids but over time they may decay into radon says the environmental protection agency epa. Some pieces of granite may contain more of these elements than others.

If it emits radon it typically does so at very low levels. On one side is that dangerously high levels have been found in some countertops while arguments on the other claim that the amount of radon emitted is very small relative to radon that may occur in homes otherwise. And other regulatory agencies have received floods of phone calls from home owners and inspectors about high levels of radiation from granite countertops. Radon is a cancer causing natural radioactive gas that you can t see smell or taste the environmental.

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. Some granite and other natural stones contains trace amounts of uranium. However any radiation present would decrease quickly with increasing distance from the source. However in some instances tests have found that granite countertops give off potentially dangerous levels of radiation.

However many foods such as meat potatoes bananas and seafood the latter having undergone research of its own with regard to the risk to public health from radiation have plenty of harmless radioactive properties of their own derived from the soil or water in which the food. Granite countertops are dangerous because they are radioactive and they emit poisonous radon gas. Use the radiation dose calculator to estimate your yearly dose from sources of ionizing radiation. Whether granite countertops could cause lung cancer due to the emission of radon gas has been a matter of some debate.

Are the levels of radon in granite countertops harmful. Granite worktops cannot affect the uptake of radiation in food. Radioactive minerals in the granite can decay into radon a colorless odorless radioactive gas which may be released from the surface of the granite over. But marble manufacturers say flat out that radiation in granite is not dangerous.