Another reason not to love granite
The design blogosphere has been buzzing about the recent discovery of radon in granite countertops. Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer, and when homes are inspected, it’s one of the things they check for routinely. Now, not all granite is radioactive, and those that are emit at low levels. Still – a health risk.
So. In addition to possible radioactivity, granite just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For one thing, it’s not green: we take it from the earth and it never grows back. Then we ship it all over the place, and it’s not cheap or easy to haul around heavy slabs of rock. One company sells granite that comes from 63 different countries.
What else? It cracks. It scratches. It’s heavy. And every real estate ad touts it as a buying feature that “everybody” wants (I still haven’t figured out who this “everybody” population really is). There are no perfect countertop materials (although engineered quartz comes pretty close). But getting granite just because everybody and their brother has it isn’t a great reason. Getting it because you really want it and love it is a great reason. Just make sure you run a geiger counter over it before you have it delivered.
If you want to see the results of actual tests on granite please check out the following link:
[url]http://www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/granite_radoninfo.cfm[/url]
These tests employ real scientific testing to debunk the junk science that suggests that everyone should test their granite for radon. It is simply not an issue. Please read the reports.
Becky’s suggestion that engineered quartz comes pretty close to being perfect ignores the reality that quartz is mined from the ground and has the same potential to have radon emmanations as granite does, which of course, based on the actual tests of granite, remains a non-issue.
An interesting point regarding quartz surfaces, is that the source of the recent furor over the possibility that granite is unsafe is from the two largest engineered quartz surfaces companies: Silestone and Cambria. Given the source of these allegations, suspicion should be cast on the objectivity of their “studies.”
How many people do you know who have their granite tops scratched? Granite is probably the best surface out there for scratch resistance.
In short, saying that granite is a health risk is untrue and ultimately baseless.
While it’s true that some types of granite do emit radon gas, the studies have shown that even the most active test samples of granite most commonly used in US countertops contribute emissions that are below the levels requiring EPA-recommended remediation. And most fall below what the EPA would consider “background levels” of radon.
Good point about quartz being non-renweable, Alan. The difference is that quartz is more likely to be a local resource than granite, at least to the US.
As for scratching, I have seen some granite tops with scratches, but like everything else I’m sure there are grades of hardness and quality.
Bamboo or reclaimed wood would be my personal choice for countertop material – especially in terms of the environment and a warmer material.