Building an ICF house and looking at granite in the kitchen.  Saw the July article in NY Times about  granite leaking out radon

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/garden/24granite.html

Talked to our home inspector and he said he had never seen this problem - but he had also never read the article and never measured the radon level in the kitchen (he has only measured the basement)

So -

1. Has anyone out there actually had a problem with radon in their kitchen from granite - or is this like a one in a million?

Thanks

Todd

To clarify the above I'm not going to say it's impossible but not likely. Radon will come from the decay of radioactive elements. ALOT of materials are radioactive, it just depends on how sensitive your mesurement device is. Most stone will have some radioactive particles. When these particles decay they become Radon and are released from the stone. The amount of Radon emitted depends on where the stone came from. 

Hi,

I used to work during summers school term in nuclear institute where we were measuring radon activity.

Most of radon is coming from earth. That could be problem in some areas.

Some of radon is coming from building material (bricks, dry wall, concrete, etc.)

I doubt that granite in the kitchen really matters.

Anyway, best way to protect yourself is to ventilate your house. Just open windows, change air. (And stop smoking.)

I have found most of the answer. Go here. The good news is it is not a case of nuclear waste. But after you read it think of all the granite out there that is contaminated. Bottom line is know where your granite is comming from or you are at risk. 

As you intuitively know, it is BS......another "urban myth" in the making.

<http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/article/ca6687036.html?nid=2469&rid=11449764>


Bruce

This article seems reasonable.

Anyway, here you can get some fact, how to protect against radon.

http://epa.gov/radon/pubs/rrnc-tri.html

Believe me, venting helps. We have done extensive measuring on that. Just open a window once per day and you will probably be fine.

Also quit smoking helps.

Weasel words from a highly biased source - all they are saying is that most granite countertops don't have a problem.  But some granite slabs could be a major problem:

• The market share-weighted average concentration of radon in indoor air attributable to emissions from granite countertops was estimated to be about 400 times lower than the action level recommended by the EPA. 
• Typical granite stones are likely to be a minor source of radiation dose

Thanks so much everybody for the help and ideas.

We move into the house in 9 days. After we are there a bit I will measure the radon level both in the basement and in the kitchen and let the forum know the results.

The whole house is ICF but we have an HRV and will ventilate well. We also have a radon shield placed under the basement slab to avoid ground based radon.

The best conclusion I've been able to come to is that about 2% of granite is a problem at best and that (as above poster mentioned) it does depend on where the granite comes from although  forget where the geographic hot spots are.

Wow, lucky you. We are still in the design stage of our new ICF home. Good Luck. Sounds like you have your "Ducks in a Row" and are prepared for any potental radon. Good Luck and congratulations on the move in. You lucky dog you.

Congratulations on new house.

As you have radon shield under basement, you are 100% OK.

We will be using quartz countertops in our new house. They look similar to granite and are actually less maintance and no worries about radon.

We were going to get quartz, which in my opinion is better than granite, but we would loose LEED Certification points if we went with ether one. We are thinking tile, only because all the recycled material countertops cost as much as quartz and granite. You would think countertops made of recycled scrap materials would be less expensive. NOT! Geesh!

Hi:

I study mineralogy as a hobby, and am interested in science and the environment, retired from a career in environmental enforcement.  Granite nearly emits natural radioactivity; we are awash in radioactivity all day every day. When we fly above most of the atmosphere our exposure to natural background radiation goes up dramatically, nearly an order of magnitude.

I used to carry radiation measurement hardware on board aircraft, along with gps etc.  Seeing the radiation values shoot up as altitude went up was quite interesting.  None of this is anything to fear, although I've since stopped carrying scientific gear in carry-on just to avoid freaking anyone out.

While radon from soil out-gassing can be a problem, a vapor barrier and an vent for soil gas is all you need to be protected.  Your countertops are safe.

Regarding less expensive and more green countertops, I think poured in place concrete is a great way to customize a low-cost countertop that will last well.  This is just a subjective opinion.

But don't worry about the granite from a safety perspective, falling meteors and lightning are more probably a danger.

JR