Granite Is A Safe Option For Your House

If you have ever thought of installing granite in your house, you must have heard those terrible words that granite emits a dangerous gas named radon and this can result in some serious health hazards. However, the hype has gone higher in recent times, forcing the scientists to involve in thorough research. The conclusion reached by them is satisfactory for those who have granite in their houses and frustrating for those who don’t.

Radon is basically a gas without and color or smell. It is a radioactive gas and contaminates the air naturally. In recent times, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has given a lot of stress on the researches to find out the exact threats that the gas poses on human beings.

Though the researchers have accepted that the granite emits the radon gas, the amount of it is far less than the amount necessary for causing health problems. There are different agencies that have carried out researches and all of them have given marble a clean chit.

The research conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency has found out that the granites contain certain amount of uranium and therefore can produce radioactive elements like the alpha, beta, gamma and even the radon. However, they said that there is no evidence to claim that the granite countertops pose any risk at all to the household air quality.

Florida Department of Health has reached a similar conclusion form their researches as well. However, they have not conducted specific researches on the countertops, their findings, rather, are applied to all the granites products. They too, have found out a very little amount of radioactive elements in the granite as well as most of the earthen products. Their researches have found out that we are exposed to the radiation all the time. However, the low amount of radiation dispels all the fears of the health hazards from granite countertops.

The health department of the Washington State too, has conducted a similar research. According to it, the radiation from the granite countertop can be traced only from a very short distance and the amount is very low. There is chance of getting exposed to the radiation only if a person lies on the counter for a long time.

The Texas Department of State Health Service also believes that granite is safe. Information on their site says that the level of radiation from the granite is so low that there is no practical threat from the granite countertops. In fact, the amount of radiation from the granite countertops is, according to them, less than what we are exposed to everyday.

Finally, the Health Physics Society has confirmed that there is no need to remove the granite countertops. The homeowners can go for the monitoring of the radon concentration. Still, if the owner is concerned about the radon, measures can be taken to remove the gas from the house.