Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Granite Counters Radioactive

Some of the traditional granite countertops emit high levels of radiation.

It sounds pretty crazy at first glance. However, the earth’s crust is filled with minerals that emit small amounts of radiation, and granite is one of the types of rock that contains radioactive elements.

Uranium deposits, for instance, are often found at the boundaries between igneous rocks (such as granite) and other layers of rock. As uranium decays, it emits radon gas. In fact, much of the radon gas that seeps into homes in certain parts of the country comes from the decay of uranium in underground granite deposits.

Granite quarried in the US is most likely safe because of better testing and sourcing, but with today’s explosion of granite options from all parts of the world some less-than-safe choices have slipped in.

Read the entire article and find green options.

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