It does pay to find out for sure if there are harmful levels of radioactive elements in your granite countertops.
Is all granite radioactive.
It forms as a result of magma cooling over millions of years under intense pressure and heat.
After all there are always exceptions to the rule.
Granite is a natural source of radiation like most natural stones.
However high levels of radon in the home from all possible sources is a health concern because it can cause lung cancer.
Inhaling the accumulated radon could give rise to small degree of radiation.
Granite like any other stone may contain veins of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium thorium and their radioactive decay products.
Potassium 40 is a radioactive isotope of weak emission and a constituent of alkali feldspar which in turn is a common component of granitic rocks more abundant in alkali feldspar granite and syenites.
In addition many fertilizers and soils are also radioactive as are the fruits and vegetables grown with those fertilizers and in those soils.
However keep in mind that avoiding granite countertops does not mean you avoid radiation or radon gas emissions in your home.
Granite contains radioactive materials.
The lowdown on granite radiation.
On our planet we are surrounded by radiation from the sun machines airplanes the.
Granite is the most abundant type of natural stone in the world.
These trace concentrations may vary from stone to stone or even within a single slab of granite.
Radon is a radioactive gas that is naturally found in granite due to the decay of radium to radon.
The fact is that all minerals and stones including those found in most types of granite are somewhat radioactive.
Like all rocks granite may contain naturally occurring radioactive elements like radium uranium and thorium.
These radioactive elements are solids but over time they may decay into radon says the environmental protection agency epa.
However it is undeniable that granite does contain radioactive materials some more so than others do.
Some pieces of granite may contain more of these elements than others.
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.
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.