At issue is whether some granite countertops emit dangerous levels of radiation especially the gas radon which is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.
Is marble radiation like granite.
Granite like any other stone may contain veins of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium thorium and their radioactive decay products.
Granite and radiation is the flavor of the month for scaremongers but many homeowners are not buying into the hype.
If your home has a radon level of 4 picocuries per liter pci l of air or more you should take steps to fix your home and reduce the radon level.
An alternative to granite.
However some articles have circulated that claim granite is a source of harmful radiation specifically radon.
Both granite and marble are naturally occurring materials that were formed millions of years ago similar to minerals.
While granite that looks like marble is already a great thing in itself if you are still looking for more options you can also try to check if you would like using cultured marble.
Radiation and radon are generally lower in marbles but both marble and granite has been studied for many years on these issues.
Generally these substances contain traces of radioactive elements like uranium thorium and their daughter products like radium polonium and radon.
Here is a link for several studies from all over the world.
One of the top picks for us homeowners is granite because it is durable and beautiful as well as affordable.
The great thing about this is that it looks like marble but is more durable and less porous.
These range from natural materials such as wood marble and granite to engineered products such as quartz stone.
It is marble but just that it is manmade.
Granite is a natural source of radiation like most natural stones.
Many including those that have personal experience with granite with high levels of radiation continue to prefer granite countertops.
While natural rocks such as granite may emit radiation and radon gas the levels attributable to such sources are not typically high.
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.