Radon Emissions From Granite Countertops. The concern is Radon emitted from the decay of Radium in the granite can easily escape from unsealed surfaces of the granite into the air or that Gamma emissions from any radioactive elements in the stone may be excessively high. Radon gas 222 Rn is a natural constituent of the environment and a risk factor for lung cancer that we are exposed to as a result of radioactive decay of radium 226 Ra in stone and soil.
Radon is a radioactive gas that has no odor or color and comes from naturally decaying radioactive materials like uranium. It is detected in soil and rock samples found in the ground and it can be both present in the indoors and outdoors which links it to minerals or rocks or natural stone materials that are used in countertop products. FACT All natural products especially stone minerals and sand contain trace amounts of some radioactive elements called NORMs Naturally Occurring Radioactive Mineral that can produce measurable amounts of radiation and sometimes radon.
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.
Its a colorless odorless radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of rocks and stones according to the Environmental Protection Agency EPA. 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. So quartz is a major constituent of granite and we have determined that granite has little to no significant radon levels. Radon gas 222 Rn is a natural constituent of the environment and a risk factor for lung cancer that we are exposed to as a result of radioactive decay of radium 226 Ra in stone and soil.
