Is Radon Found In Granite

Granite countertops and radon gas science and technical committee of the american association of radon scientists and technologists aarst august 4 2008 2 pages.

Is radon found in granite.

The ny times article included a story about a new jersey resident who s new york summer home was found to emit high levels of radon traced to the granite countertops. There are currently no regulations concerning granite countertops radon gas or radiation emissions. Radon is produced naturally by chemical processes originating from local geology. Radon is a radioactive gas that is naturally found in granite due to the decay of radium to radon.

Radon found in granite countertops a friend of mine pointed me to this article in new york times talking about radon emissions from granite countertops. Granites can contain parts per billion of radium providing for an extremely small amount of. Ok so the risk from granite is minuscule but how common is radon in u s. If the levels of radon in the area containing the granite are higher than your indoor levels in another area of your home and the surface top test devices also return high results then it is possible that the granite is contributing to or is the source of your indoor radon levels.

That discussed the possibility of granite emitting radon gas into your home. After years of radon research independent researchers have not found any indication that using granite indoors puts homeowners at risk for increased radon exposure. Picture courtesy of the national park service website. I had no idea that the granite can emit radon and of course the first thing i thought about the granite countertop in my kitchen.

As stated earlier radon is naturally produced by the radioactive decay of the elements uranium and thorium found within the soils and rocks of the earth. However some granite countertops were found to emit not only measurable amounts of radon but amounts at levels high enough to give one pause such as the case in the sugarman home mentioned above. Radon originating in the soil beneath homes is a more common problem and a far larger public health risk than radon from granite building materials. The epa says that approximately one of every 15 homes throughout the country whether new or old has elevated radon levels.

According to the epa s definition radon is a cancer causing radioactive gas. Radon that originates in the soil is the main cause of radon problems the epa says.