However in some instances tests have found that granite countertops give off potentially dangerous levels of radiation.
Is there radiation in granite.
Use the radiation dose calculator to estimate your yearly dose from sources of ionizing radiation.
It is extremely unlikely that radiation from granite countertops would increase annual radiation doses above normal natural background levels.
The lowdown on granite radiation.
After all there are always exceptions to the rule.
If it emits radon it typically does so at very low levels.
However any radiation present would decrease quickly with increasing distance from the source.
However high levels of radon in the home from all possible sources is a health concern because it can cause lung cancer.
However keep in mind that avoiding granite countertops does not mean you avoid radiation or radon gas emissions in your home.
1 there is general guidance on radiation exposures in buildings and radiation exposure from naturally occurring radioactive materials.
Children and developing fetuses are vulnerable to radiation which can cause other forms of cancer.
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.
It s not true that all granite countertops emit alarming amounts of radon.
Some granite and other natural stones contains trace amounts of uranium.
While radon gas and radiation emission levels attributable to granite are not typically high there are simply too many variables to generalize about the emissions from granite countertops.
It does pay to find out for sure if there are harmful levels of radioactive elements in your granite countertops.