Health, Taken Seriously

Recently, there have been a few articles in the press about granite countertops emitting radon.  Radon is a radioactive gas that is released from the natural stone when the uranium in it decays.  But would this be enough radon to harm the health of the people living in a home with granite countertops?  Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoke and homes are known to trap any radon gas that seeps into them, or in this case, are produced by countertops in them.  I am particularly interested in this because tomorrow my husband and I are picking out the slab of granite that will be used to make countertops in the kitchen of our new home.

I called up the company that is providing our granite and asked them about radon testing.  I was given a number for someone who will test my particular slab of granite for $200.  Online kits can be purchased for much cheaper, so I decided to call around and get another estimate and some more information.  The next three people I called all seemed to think that countertops emitting enough radon to pose a health threat was hype.  Perhaps hype created by competitors.  I was told by all three that the soil below your house is much more likely to release radon gas into your home than your granite countertops.  In fact, the EPA’s Citizen’s Guide to Radon makes no mention of granite countertops.  Several of the radon testers I spoke with suggested testing the actual air quality in my new home once it was complete for radon, rather than worrying about my countertops.  One quote for a radon test was $120, considerably lower than the quote to test the granite.  I also stumbled upon other “expert” opnions like this one from a New York State Department of Health researcher, Michael Kitto, who has tested more than 50 countertops.  He has been quoted as saying “Results indicate that many of the decorative stones are very low emitters of radon.  A few stones emit slightly more radon, and only one stone in the study emitted a substantial amount of radon. While nearly all granites emit radon, the amount produced in a kitchen from the granite is less than in outdoor air.”

So while we plan to still have granite countertops in our new home, I will also be looking into regular testing for radon.  And I will be opening my windows as much as possible–something that is always a good idea but especially in a new home that’s bound to be off-gassing lots of VOCs.  (More to come on this issue as I am currently researching low- and no-VOC paints…)