Granite Countertops May be Tainted with Uranium

Would you like some cancer with those sweet granite countertops? Granite has been all the rage for the last decade or so, gaining 5% in popularity with each passing year. Homeowners might be getting more than they bargained for when completing kitchen renovations, however. Rice University physics professor W.J. Llope says that some granite countertops contain high levels of uranium which can endanger human health.

From Chron.com:

“Most stones, in terms of radioactivity, are relatively quiet,” Llope said. “But there are a couple I have found that are insanely hot.”

Using a Rice University spectrometer, Llope has examined 55 stones, representing about 25 varieties of granite purchased from Houston-area dealers. Some, he said, could expose homeowners to 100 millirems of radiation — the annual exposure limit set by the Department of Energy for visitors to nuclear labs — in just a few months.

Llope, who said he plans to publish his findings in a peer-reviewed journal, declined to name the most hazardous varieties of granite he has thus far examined. But he said dangerously radioactive varieties include striated granites from Brazil and Namibia.

As many as 1,600 varieties of granite from 64 countries are sold for household use in the United States. None of them is routinely tested for radioactivity.

Scientists are currently being assembled to develop a protocol for testing granite for radioactivity. While the granite industry has grumbled about the findings, saying that competitors selling non-granite products have made a bigger deal out of this than it is, Llope applauds the industry for taking an important first step to protect consumer safety.

In the meantime, homeowners worried about their countertops can get inexpensive radon testing kits from most hardware stores to test the levels in their homes themselves.

Link [Chron.com]
Photo credit: Sinks for Less

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