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.
Is black granite radioactive.
This concentration is less than.
All granite and most earthen materials contain trace amounts of uranium and radium emit gamma radiation and release radon gas.
Granite contains radioactive materials.
Granite is the most abundant type of natural stone in the world.
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.
At most only a tiny percentage of them have been tested for radon or radiation levels but a recent test of 13 types of granite typically used for countertops found no radon or very low levels of.
However keep in mind that avoiding granite countertops does not mean you avoid radiation or radon gas emissions in your home.
Whether granite countertops could cause lung cancer due to the emission of radon gas has been a matter of some debate.
Granite ˈ ɡ r æ n ɪ t is a common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock that is granular and phaneritic in texture.
Radon is an odorless colorless gas produced by the breakdown of uranium that seeps out of the earth more commonly in some places on the planet than others.
After all there are always exceptions to the rule.
Radiation from granite countertops.
Assuming a relatively tight house with an air change rate of 0 5 per hour h 1 and using average measured dose rates from granite countertop slabs the estimated radon concentration in kitchen air would be 4 8 becquerels per cubic meter bq m 3.
Strictly speaking granite is an.
It does pay to find out for sure if there are harmful levels of radioactive elements in your granite countertops.
The lowdown on granite radiation.
However it is undeniable that granite does contain radioactive materials some more so than others do.
Granite like any other stone may contain veins of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium thorium and their radioactive decay products.
With the concern over the radioactive risk potential of granite countertops it is important to remember that we are always exposed to a certain level of background radiation.
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 time.
These trace concentrations may vary from stone to stone or even within a single slab of granite.