Polished granite slabs are not 'silent killers', say experts
Washington, October 12 : Slabs made of polished granite do not emit such amounts of
radiation as to be termed "silent killers", says an American expert.
Mike Brennan, a radiation health physicist with the Washington State Department of
Health in Olympia, says that even a Geiger counter cannot detect radiation from a slab of
granite from more than a few inches away.
"So in terms of direct radiation, you would have to spend a long time, at least hours
per day, laying on the granite countertop, in order to receive very much exposure from
it," Earth quoted him, as saying.
He even dismisses suggestions that granite worktops were likely to emit lots of
radioactive radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
"What we encourage people to do is to test their home for radon. The test kits are
readily available and they're easy to use. And if you test your home for radon and you
don't have a radon problem, you can be pretty certain that you don't have a problem in
connection with your granite countertop," he says.
Andrew Karam, a radiation safety expert based in Rochester, New York, agrees.
He thinks that it will not be a good advice if people are asked to tear out pricey
granite worktops.
"If anybody is thinking about doing that, I would advise them to give me a call,
because my wife and I are looking to redo our kitchen," he says.
--ANI
