Radon Found In Countertops

[puncheex]

1 picocurie is about .04 becquerel, per liter of air. A becquerel is a single nucleus disintegration per second, so 100 picocuries is a 4 disintegrations per liter of air per second. That is an immensely small amount of radiation, especially for as active a source as radon222 is; it has a half life of 4 days. Now, it is difficult to convert becquerels into equivalent effective dosages. There are lots of considerations, but making a bunch of assumptions you could make this equivalent to ...

[puncheex]

... perhaps .2 uSv per day. Consulting xkcd(.)com/radiation, this dose is about 2/3rds of what living 50 miles from a coal-fired power plant gives you. Normal daily background radiation is 10 uSv. Besides, this radiation source is an inert gas - it doesn't lodge in the lungs, it doesn't "stick" to you. It is flushed out or diluted with any sort of ventilation system, such as an open window. It doesn't accumulate; a quantity of it disappears through disintegration within 40 days.

[puncheex]

... Last but not least, radon222 is an alpha emitter, like plutonium and uranium. That sounds awful, but alphas are not dangerous outside; an inch of air, a sheet of paper, or the layer of dead skin cells everyone has on the outside is enough to shield the body. In uranium, the problem is that the dust can get into the lungs where it is not shielded, but as said above, radon is an inert gas. It doesn't chemically join anything. It may be inhaled, but it is then exhaled.

[n1iex]

HOW ABOUT QUATZ COUNTERTOPS ??

[puncheex]

@n1iex: Quartz countertop? Hmmm. If it is quarried, it would probably be roughly the same as the granite; that is, as near harmless as can be imagined. Granite is about 33% quartz.

[solarhawk77]

Does granite emit Radon? yes. Does the concrete in your basement? yes. Radon is a noble gas, and doesn't react chemically to really anything. Also, being a gas, it doesn't exactly collect in your lungs, it's simply breathed out again. This makes it very hard to measure itself. What's typically measured is the daughter nuclides, such as Pb-214 (lead), being one of the longer half-life of the series of it's daughters, at 26.8 minutes. Stanley their "expert" is spreading fear, and wants to profit.

[thepianolover4ever]

harry is so awkward!

[Sweeper5]

@saynotodarwin Oh my god, you're right! I'll bet it's a conspiracy to kill women, some kind of plot by a granite-crazed man supremacist! hahaahha You fucking loon.

[Zoidberg227]

Let me clear some things up for you pregnant women out there, since this liar is obfuscating things. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM RADIATION. This little piece puts no significance or perspective behind the readings they show. To put things into perspective, the human body has about 0.1 microcuries of naturally occurring potassium-40. A picocurie is one million times SMALLER than a microcurie. Your own body is 22700 times more radioactive than the first sample.

[y2knoproblem]

CMT labs is snake oil, fear mongering.

[boredperson81]

It is not unsafe, the air you breath and in some cases the water you drink has lot more radon gas.Radiation is evrywhere in the nature.

[boredperson81]

It is not unsafe, the air you breath and in some cases the water you drink has lot more radiation.Radiation is evrywhere in the nature.

[iToasterman]

this is why im glad i have a wood one :) no granite... its ugly :P i rather have a nice stainless steal :D

[leskinen212]

Pretty sure there is more radon in the foundation of you home than in the counter tops!

[Sweeper5]

Oh my god. If this isn't the stupidest thing in the world. I don't see how they can put on something like this without laughing. Surely they're a bit embarassed.

[sceja56]

I just purchased Black Galaxy Granite Counter Tops. I just STOPPED my order. It cost me $150.00 for the cancellation. I believe this to be true. The way I look at it, this stuff needs to stay where nature put it.. THE MOUNTAINS,.

[doom705]

its not enough radiation to make any impact on your life. i'm taking nuclear physics and i know for fact, its not enough radiation to harm you.

[benjwgarner]

Your basement is probably more dangerous if you have poor airflow.

[MerkabaStar]

The bottom line is the shit is real and people have had health issues,tumors, etc that cease when the radon cause is mitigated. It comes from the natural decay of Uranium. Noone denies Uranium is radioactive and that it may be in granite do they? Shit it's not Granites fault that so many people want to put it in their homes! Its not intended to be in your home!

[TheCaptainLulz]

@MerkabaStar theres uranium in everything,from sand to cement. its about as common as lead in the earth. Radon is easy to mitigate, a fan can do the task.

[QualityMarbleAndTile]

This guy says "Radon Gas or Radiation". Wrong, those two are two different things.

[dahur]

We were aware of the dangers when we got our granite installed last March. I had pre called the yard, and asked if I could bring my counters with me, and they said sure. I tested about 15 slabs, and one had high readings, (400 uR/h on PM 1703 scintillator) The rest were an average of 100-250 CPM with background of 45-50. 15-35 uR/h) Pretty low really. Ours averages 125 CPM. Our Safety Siren Radon detector fluctuates between 2.6 & 2.8, which is below the EPA of 4.0

[mmikechi]

Seal it for water and it's ok (since radon is gas)! if it was ever unhealthy... A solid surface company had reviews in past in it's website to proove this opinion. Nowdays, the same company sells an alternative product that is based in granite dust. They say that they test it for health... if you belive it , i belive it also. I belive that granite is ok..

[replacementcounters]

You are correct that I do have the potential of being biased which is why I did not comment directly but merely pointed to sources that I know of. One with in the industry and one outside.

[proletariatCSP]

Radon test kit $50

Granite counters $5000

Lung Cancer $500,000

Cost of not being a know-it-all skeptic ~ priceless

[dcracker2]

if you are stupid enough to send a sample of your kitchen air and a check for the test I think can help save time and effort. 1st hold your breath for about 30 minutes and then inject yourself with atleast a quart of sulphuric acid. then you will be immune to death by countertop. moron

[dcracker2]

dumb

[shrevetownghost]

Radon is a product of uranium decay. Normally, reaching the surface above uranium beds, it dissipates into the atmosphere. However, if you happen to live in a house above the migration path of radon gas, your house serves as a trap, stopping the dissipation and retaining the gas. It will migrate up through your concrete slab. Ventilation is the best prevention to keep your houses' air safe. Alpha radiation is easily blocked, but radon is inhaled, becoming lethal.

[QualityMarbleAndTile]

As it is true that only some colors of granite like; red, pink and purple, do emmit radon, there are plenty of other colors, I would say about 99% of them, that don't emmit radon. It is also true that most of the home basements drag radon from the ground thru the walls. The only way you can protect yourself if you have any doubts about radon, is ventilating your kitchen or room sometime. In fact that will protect you from anything, not just radon. Granite is safe and O.K. and this is propaganda.

[wallyfdog]

@QualityMarbleAndTile Propaganda for who or why? The anti-granite lobby? Sounds like you have a business interest based on your name..so who are we to believe?

[QualityMarbleAndTile]

@wallyfdog

We could have post our comment under different name, but we didn't, we got nothing to hide. I don't know why it sounds to "you" that we have some business interest, but you should take our comment as advice from professional that deals with granite on daily basis for 10 years, not from the guy on the TV show for anything in this world. After all, I am sure both of them have granite in their homes just like my complete family, and I would not put my family in danger.

[DODICKxMILE]

Hey, this Marble Institute of America sounds fair and true. Ya'll should check it out before saying and speculating some fake radon crap. We all should be dead by now if granite emmits radon so much.

[replacementcounters]

Customers concerned with this should visit the Marble Institute of America's Site or the EPA website

[wallyfdog]

@replacementcounters ok should take the word of someone who's name is replacementcounters..nothing to do with your business interest?

[datzfast]

my wife has some deadly radon gas, should i replace her or will it just become some one elses problem then.

[DODICKxMILE]

This is just another load of crap from companies that make some other countertops and are not even close to granite. Granite is the best and it is true; you got more radon in the basement of your house and it doesn't come from granite.

[sealpro2]

You must just be another granite countertop installation contractor! It IS HARMFUL! Especially to children. You should not put information like that up here that some poor person might believe. It can make your baby sick??? You'd take the chance? Obviously So!

[DODICKxMILE]

You must be from that company that makes those other countertops, and spreads this load of crap. There is only FEAR TACTICS so people would buy those other fake cheap looking but expensive countertops made out of plastic and toxic glues. FEAR TACTICS, THAT'S ALL. Granite is safe and whole my family has it all over their houses, nobody affected, nobody died. And NO, I am not some granite countertop contractor, I am granite user that could NOT find anything better and safer than granite.

[sealpro2]

There are plenty of other options out there that don't emit any radon gas. For me personally, it's not something I'd want to even take a chance with, especially if I was serving my children food from the top of it.

You can freak out all you want to. The long and short of it is... granite is proven, that's proven mind you, by sophisticated testing, to carry levels of radon that are harmful.

[sealpro2]

You know people used to think you could let children play in areas with paint chipping walls, until they found out there was lead in the paint and the lead was harmful. Ever think about that. That with time... comes education about certain aspects of things we can EASILY change about the way we live that will be healthier for our children?

Now spew about that!

[dtarleton]

@sealpro2 I would like to see that report showing that granite poses a danger from emitting Radon. You people are so stupid that because they put it on TV you think it is true. The media always back tracks when they are challenged, oh we only said "MAY BE A THREAT" This report was done in 2008 since then there have been many reports stating the opposite.

[MerkabaStar]

@dtarleton its true, its been well documented for years. I'm in the industry. I know. Do your own research.

[sealpro2]

I didn't realize you were from talking about what you have in Bosnia... I guess maybe your materials are sub-standard and you haven't any choice in the matter. We have a lot of choices in the US, and we should utilize those... we're spending a lot of money every year on the FDA~ We should be intelligent and use our resources for that. I apologize, I didn't realize you were from another country. Concrete is a great alternative material, you have that there???

[DODICKxMILE]

Well, thanks for checking out my channel anyway, but I can put on that channel that I am from China if I want, because YouTube, doesn't do that for ya' by the I.P. adress. Anyway, greetings from New York, and that is in USA. My channel is totaly something different to screw with some other totaly different people.

I have granite at my home in NY, and my whole family in 4 different states. What granite they have in Bosnia, don't know and I don't care, but I know it is more available than in US.

[ru3456]

send me all of your granite countertops. It doesn't bother me, I live on the edge.

[silverrose50]

I first heard that granite countertops were radioactive when I heard they were checking all containers coming into the US looking for nukes, & what always sets off the detectors is granite countertops--saying "Oh, its just countertops again" All granite countertops send off some radiation,& some are "hot" levels-- very dangerous. You have to find out what type of radiation it is sending off too because.radon gas is very dangerous when breathed in the air. Gamma is also dangerous for the unborn.

[microfly2008]

Iam one of those workers, and would be very greatful of any more info on this subject as in the UK there has been no tests that i know of to date for people who work with natural stone.

[BOBSTERXXXX]

HOST NAME: Harry Smith of CBS

GUEST NAME: Stanley P. Liebert of CMT Laboratories

They both have granite at their homes.

[BOBSTERXXXX]

I just found online that this CMT Labaratories company does recomend granite for the countertops. What was this on TV; SOME PAID STUNT?

[BOBSTERXXXX]

This is so fake. My family has granite in their houses for decades. Go in your basement and check the radon level and you will find that you have something in level that should have kill you 3 years ago. However, this guy says only in red and purple granites, and who likes their countertops to be red or purple. Nothing beats granite and radon in granite is false information placed to consumers like us by those fake countertops companies. FAKE PRODUCTS FAKE RADON INFORMATION.

[JaksProductions]

I have a dosimeter just like that in my school :P

[user56781]

i dont think its dangerous but over a long period of time espesally prepairing foods that obsorb this gas then could potentially be a hazard and may contribute to intestine and bladder cancers im guessing its safer to prepare meals off the floor now heh

[AxiumKnight]

i eat radon for dinner ;]

[Napalmdeath420]

quartz, or stainless steel would be much better choices for countertops, dont even consider granite. you have to reseal it every 3 years, and it will put you, your kids, and your pets at risk. radon gas is the #2 cause of lung cancer!!! right behind cigarettes!! no joke, look it up.

[nadsab1]

I feel sorry for people who work in granite fabrication countertop businesses all across the country. Most of these shops are small to medium sized businesses have maybe ten to 50 employees with very little oversight. These workers cut up granite slabs all day and breath in all that radioactive radon gas and radioactive dust. These are the people who are most affected by this radon problem, OSHA should go into each shop and test all slabs for radon and call HAZMAT to remove any harmful slabs.

[nadsab1]

If the granite countertop industry continues to refuse to test, certify each & every granite slab for radon as being safe & not emitting more than 4 pico curies per liters of radon gas per EPA safety levels, if they continue to pay their trade association lawyers to LIE, cover up this radon scandal of the granite industry, then their industry is doomed, they will be sued and regulated like the cigarette companies if they continue to engage in this cover up & dont regulate themselves.

[nadsab1]

The government will eventually do it for them. Remember, you are leaving food on the countertop, and ingesting radon gas if the levels are too high.

[nadsab1]

OK Microfine if what you say is correct, that the meter is also detecting background radiation, then why does it go crazy when you move it close to the granite, and then show much lower readings when you pull it away? Explain THAT. You must work for the granite industry since you are explaining away radon and saying that it's no problem bringing in a radioactive slab of granite into the home. Why is it that your industry does not test each slab for radon prior to selling it. U afraid to?

[minerofblood]

bullshit, all rocks found around homes emit radon gas due to the decay of uranium into radium then radium decaying into radon gas which lasts for 3.4 days, the house vents it out, if you breath it in its no hassel along as it doesnt decay into its daughter nuclei which is a solid as the gas you will just exhale in fact theres radioactivity around everything called backround radiation!

[Napalmdeath420]

i think you mean 3.4 billion years. uranium emits radon gas for over 3 billion years, i dont know where you come up with this 3.4 day stuff. if you remove the source of radon gas then the gas will only stay for around 3 days, could this be what you mean?

[minerofblood]

no have you ever heard of a decay chain? uranium decays into radium (in trace amounts 1g radium to 1 ton of uranium) radium decays into radon, radon lasts about 3.4days so you cant have a major build up, also tiny amounts of radon gas which can't hurt you really, also radon is an alpha emitter. im saying that you cant have a massive build up of radon 3.4 days each nucleus, so it will sort it selfout.

[nadsab1]

OK minerofblood  so let's say your theory is correct and the radon gas only lasts 3.4 days, OK so by the time your body gets rid of it, your granite countertop is cooking up MORE radon, so as soon as your body gets rid of it, you have a fresh new dose of radon in your lungs. So what's your point? Granite countertops which emit 100 pico curies of radon per liter is safe? I don't think so.

[Napalmdeath420]

there was a guy who worked in a nuclear facility that set off the radiation alarms everytime he went to work. this was caused from a large granite rock under his house. now..... his levels of radon gas were equivelent to smoking 135 packs of cigarettes a day. now tell me this stuff is harmless.

[garybooker]

What amazes me is how people on Youtube will believe AIDS denialist videos by Charlatans like Gary Null and vegan pseudoscience videos by Tim Van Orden, but will be completely doubtful towards a news broadcast that features a certified professional. Granite is more than capable of holding radon and this isn't far fetched at all.

The EPA is still investigating the matter. I look forward to hearing their conclusions.

[R2PKompressoR]

news flash, theres radon in your ceramic tile, theres radon in your home foundation, theres radon in the onions and potatoes you eat. radon is naturally in the ground.

[garybooker]

Radon is not an abundant element. It's location depends on the geoavalibility of parent nucleides, and this varies from one location to another. It is not in everything. I promise you that evolution would have a drastically different stories if that were the case.

[minerofblood]

naturally everywhere, due to the decay of uranium decaying into radium which decays into radon gas, also the meter on this video is just detecting backround radiation.

[azura1122]

ALL BULLSHIT!

[smarkle78]

If there is such a concern, why the heck are these guys so freely handling these materials without some sort of protection.

[R2PKompressoR]

people are idiots, any imported granite is held in customs for testing for everything. if there was any cause for concern it wouldnt even be allowed in the country. its amazing how much money people pay to make products look bad when the economy is rough...granite has been in kitchens and labs for years, and we just hear about it now?

[garybooker]

Are you a customs agent?

[nadsab1]

R2PKompressoR ,

Yes I agree with you people are idiots.

You say if granite slabs were dangerous they would not be allowed into the country. By your logic, the Federal Government would have taken cigarettes off the market (which by the way have been known to be a direct cause of lung cancer) 40 years ago! The fact that you can still buy a pack of cigarettes or cigars in the US, and the fact that people are still stupid enough to buy them, dis proves your theory. QED.

[nadsab1]

R2PKompressoR,

You say U R amazed by how much money people pay to make products look bad.

It amazes me what billion dollar industries spend to whitewash their harmful products & sell radioactive materials & place them into homes & pay their trade association lawyers to LIE about their products being safe. It amazes me that the granite countertop industry REFUSES to test & certify each & every slab for EPA safety radon levels before selling it. What does the granite industry have to hide?

[suthengent]

You can talk about "junk science" all you want but remember that the next time you get dental x-rays and they put that lead vest on your chest! You can get MORE "radiation" from lont term exposure to elevated levels of radon than 1,000 dental x-rays!

[BMWDucatiPhil]

radon is in dirt too...

[elberton76]

people watching this video,please be aware,and get yourself educated,this "story has been popping up for years,brought on by dupont,cambria,or possibly the makers of radon detection equipment,these claims are completely false,and have been proven so countless times,refer to the marble institute of america for proper non biased information,we've been in the granite industry since 1635,and feel as i can speak with authority,thanks

[strungoutoz]

funny thing is the man made quartz stuff is just chemicals glued together! I know what id prefer, granite everytime and marble in the bathrooms

[nadsab1]

elberton76,

Then you as a granite sales person would have no problem with your customers walking into your showrooms with the above radon detector over a slab of granite they are about to buy, would you? You as a granite contractor would have no problem guaranteeing in writing that if radon is detected in a countertop, you would have no problem replacing it? Since; as you say, that you guarantee that this story is false? Put it in writing for your customers, or shut up.

[marjopano]

I have made a lot of experiments like this and have proved that granite and especially some types of bricks (bricks with coal ash and limestone) emits high levels of radon.

Every house that is build from this types of brick have radon level between 10 to 20 pCi/L and if someone live in this house, his chance for developing lung cancer is very high especially for smoker. about 2 in 10 people.

BE AWARE ABOUT RADON!

IT IS A SILENT KILLER INTO YOUR HOME!

DON'T BE NEXT VICTIM!

TEST YOUR HOME!

[marjopano]

THIS VIDEO IS TRUE AT ALL!

NO ONE CAN BE HERCULEAN WITH IONIZING RADIATION. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the second leading of lung cancer, with about 21 000 deaths every year in U.S.

The granite is very rich in radium and radium is a radioactive material that emit ionizing radiation. The ionizing radiation have enough energy to brake DNA or destroy the entire cell.

This fact have decades that have been proved by scientist and no discussions is needed about this

[Isosphere]

All granites have mild radioactivity.

Visit a grave yard :-)

By chance and good luck you may come across some very highly active samples, I know strange places out there...definitely not suited for

buliding a home

[bodreyfus]

What a joke! Junk science at its best! I love the media, they eat this shit up!

[CPTeam222]

Radon is actually a part of the Elements of the world.Your being sarcastic right?

[bodreyfus]

No, this is "junk science". I am aware of what radon is and where it exists. Do your research about this topic before you respond.

[CPTeam222]

no u stfu

[thedude77777]

^ this guys right

media loves to hear shit

they belive ANYTHING

[capper156]

I can't believe these guys actually feel good about being dumb asses. The aluminum foil wraped around the granite is a nice effect. I hope some time in there lives they inhale some real radiation get cancer on there tongue and arent able to speak ever again

[dakotafrito]

mAtT1018969 is dead-wrong. A nuclear physicist at Rice University has now recorded alpha radiation emissions at very alarming levels from some commercially available granite samples--post-mining, shipping, polishing and even sealing.

[mAtT1018969]

this video is a lie granite cannot hold on to radiation during the mining, shiping, cutting ploishing, and by the chance it is brought i to your home it has been proved by the marble instatute of america

[mariohendriks]

All continents on Earth are big slabs of granite;-)

[zanzaux]

lol this guy is full of bullshit. first off you'd get more radiation stepping outside for less than a second than you would from that counter top all year. everything emits radiation. and just for the record radon gas and radiation are two completely different thing. this man is dumb.

[uni000ver000sal]

Radon gas is dangereous not only to pregnant women but also to men with short penis!

As the free radon gas causes neuro cells endings shotening!