Is All Granite Radioactive

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.

Is all granite radioactive.

Inhaling the accumulated radon could give rise to small degree of radiation. Some pieces of granite may contain more of these elements than others. Like all rocks granite may contain naturally occurring radioactive elements like radium uranium and thorium. Granite like any other stone may contain veins of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium thorium and their radioactive decay products.

In addition many fertilizers and soils are also radioactive as are the fruits and vegetables grown with those fertilizers and in those soils. The fact is that all minerals and stones including those found in most types of granite are somewhat radioactive. These radioactive elements are solids but over time they may decay into radon says the environmental protection agency epa. However keep in mind that avoiding granite countertops does not mean you avoid radiation or radon gas emissions in your home.

It is relieving to hear that the radioactive levels in granite and marble are too small to be of any concern but all construction materials in general emit a small amount of radon gas which is radioactive and can easily accumulate in poorly ventilated buildings. Radon is an odorless colorless gas produced by the breakdown of uranium that seeps out of the earth more commonly in some places on the planet than others. Granite is the most abundant type of natural stone in the world. However high levels of radon in the home from all possible sources is a health concern because it can cause lung cancer.

After all there are always exceptions to the rule. Radon is a radioactive gas that is naturally found in granite due to the decay of radium to radon. Granite is a natural source of radiation like most natural stones. On our planet we are surrounded by radiation from the sun machines airplanes the.

Granite contains radioactive materials. The lowdown on granite radiation. It forms as a result of magma cooling over millions of years under intense pressure and heat. 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 does pay to find out for sure if there are harmful levels of radioactive elements in your granite countertops. These trace concentrations may vary from stone to stone or even within a single slab of granite.