There seems to be a lot of info circulating around about Radon in Granite Countertops. I'm sure there are a lot of individuals reading this article who have a granite countertop in their homes. I personally have one and love it. Just about all the high end homes have them now because it was the rage for the last five years. Just walk into Home Deport or Lowe's and you will see a display selling granite countertops. They are beautiful to look at, very durable and easy to work on. They clean up easy.
The best thing of all, you can put a hot pan on them without burning the countertop. Burning a counter top is easy with the standard Formica type. I know, I burned one myself. Can't seem to burn this one though. That's why I had it installed.
Should I or should I not test for Radon if I have a Granite Countertops in my house. The answer is yes to that. The test is not expensive and is available on-line. Go to our website for more information on radon test kits. It is important to test all houses for radon. Why, because it is just about everywhere in the ground.
The EPA states on their website: Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America and claims about 20,000 lives annually. That's good enough for me to test my home and it should be good enough for you.
A lot of the bad publicity is coming from manufacturers of different types of countertop materials. Countertops can be tile, marble, corian, Formica and etc. Some of these manufacturers are exaggerating the claims that have not been proven. If they state that all granite and marble countertops are emitting radon, I would like to know when they tested mine. Even though their claims are exaggerated, it still would be a wise choice to test yours. I am testing mine as I write this article. The followup article to this will have my test results published for you to see. So do not forget to follow up and get the next article in this series. Even though there is no acceptable protocol, I have to wing it for now. The tests are not expensive and I am curious.
Testing Results: if your test results of Radon exceed the EPA Standard of acceptable level of 4.0 “pictures per liter of air,” it’s definitely time to think about what is the source of the radon. Is it coming out of the ground or the counter top. If it is coming out of the ground, a professional Radon Mitigation Company can install a system to solve the problem. I would do that before removing the granite countertop. It will be your choice in that matter. According to the EPA Website, there is no acceptable protocol to test for radon in granite countertops. If it is Radon, that means your countertop could be Radioactive.
In conclusion, while the different factions fight it out, have your house tested for Radon. It is not expensive. Go to the EPA Website for more information on Radon. If you have any questions for Safe-Homes, call us at (954) 531-6476 or visit our website at www.safe-homes.com.
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