Can Granite Cause Radon

The us epa estimates that about 21 000 americans die of radon caused lung cancer every year.

Can granite cause radon.

The answer is yes. In a small number of homes the building materials e g granite and certain concrete products can give off radon although building materials rarely cause radon problems by themselves. That s really no joke. 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.

Radon originating from the soil beneath homes is a more common problem and a far larger public health risk than radon from granite building materials. Some quarries are producing relatively radioactive granite and quartzite slabs and tile. To put that in perspective it would take only 53 days of radon related deaths to reach the death toll from 911. In the united states radon gas in soils is the principal source of elevated radon levels in homes.

Pointing the finger at granite countertops as the source of radon gas is dangerous as it may cause you to overlook other more dangerous sources of it such as the soil or water around your home. If you want to keep your household safe from radon gas make a point of regularly testing for radon gas levels in your home. In a small number of homes the building materials e g granite and certain concrete products can give off radon although building materials rarely cause radon problems by themselves. 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.

While radon gas and radiation emission levels attributable to granite are not typically high there are simply too many variables to generalize about the potential health risks inside a particular home that has granite countertops.