solidsurfacealliance.org Blog

Normally, something like this is a closely guarded secret, after all, it makes a PR firm look sloppy and worse, the effort is doomed once the talking points are discovered. After all, they are saying say what we tell you to say, the letters or posts are hardly personal.

The following is a form letter the MIA’s PR firm wrote and distributed to the MIA members to use in responding to the media. Lucky for consumers, the MIA has plenty of members who do not support their attempt to discredit the granite study effort. We received many copies of their latest member email blasts shortly after it was sent out.

The EPA, alarmed that the MIA was using the EPA statement as if it supported the MIA’s claims, had already changed their public statements and website info so that it would be less likely taken out of context. I guess the MIA’s PR firm didn’t get the memo….

Here is the new EPA Radon/granite countertop site

For more info from the EPA on the dangers of Radon from granite countertops go here. They have a variety of questions addressed, if not completly answered.

Are Granite countertops radioactive?

Can I test my granite countertop for radiation?

What dose would people receive from a granite countertop?

Are there regulations about radiation in granite countertops?

Is granite from other countries tested for radiation?

Is there enough Uranium present in some granite quarries to be mined?

What information do you have about radiation in granite countertops?

The Consumer Reports study was two small granite remnants left in an empty room for a few days with a meter. It takes 30 days for the Radon to reach maximum levels, so that alone proved that the test was hardly worth bringing up. The type of granite was not mentioned, in fact, it would be impossible to reproduce their test without further details.

This is all that Consumer Reports has released on their Radon/granite countertop test.

“Consumer Reports has done limited radon testing on granite counters. Using a radon meter in a room with the door closed, we tested one sample of granite from two national companies and one slab from a local stone yard. None added any radon to the air. (Look for our report on short-term radon tests kits in the September 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, on sale and online this August.)”

As you can see, it hardly rates bringing up except that it is one of the three pillars the MIA is attempting to use to supporting their arguments. Now that even the MIA has admitted the EPA doesn’t support them, now that we see the Consumer Reports “study” is a near fabrication, all that is left is what few works the MIA has paid for.

Other Radon scientists like Dr. Steck and Dr. Kitto are finding granite samples that would raise Radon levels signigicantly. Calling PhD level University Professors work “Junk science” is hardly an unbiased opinion. Radon engineers like Bill Brodhead of PA, Stan Liebert of NY, and William Levy of FL are seeing that some granites may well contribute enough Radon to a home to cause a problem. Of the three, only Levy has not yet tested samples of the granite that we are providing, which will be quickly done once our samples arrive. Levy has 18 years of experience with concrete emitting Radon.

The University of Akron study is the Chyi study, read the post where I provide Chyi’s email proving that unlike the other scientists, he is not going to answer any questions.

And the MIA claiming that granite emits from 200 to 400 times less than the EPA action level?
Well, their own study that they paid Chyi to do showed one granite adding .27 pCi/L of Radon to the home in their example. Few independent scientists will support that unpublished study, but if we accept it as good science, it shows only 14 times less Radon than the action level, so how can the MIA claim 200 to 400 times less Radon when their own study says 14?

The “one millionth” less Radon from a granite countertop? Again, not according to their own Dr. Chyi! How can a trade association publish such contradictions and remain credible?

And testing for Radon using Geiger counters? No, what a Geiger counter does is show absolute proof that there is radioactivity present which proves that Radon is present (if the radioactivity is Uranium based, and the majority of it is). The parent element is Uranium which slowly decays until it reaches Radium, which decays into Radon gas. So the Geiger counters are simply showing both the source of the Radon gas, and the daughter products (or what radioactive particles remain after the Radon decays).

A test for Radon takes a while, but one can show that radiation is present with a simple meter.

And they claim “wristwatch faces, smoke detectors and television sets.”?????

Laughable! A TV set is hardly detectable except for the Radon radioactive daughter particles that stick to it. That is right, after the Radon decays, it turns into a heavy metal atom, Polonium, Bismuth, or Lead. These atoms like to stick to dust particles because of the negative charge, which in turn are attracted to TV and Computer screens, even dryer lint can be slightly radioactive from the Radon decay progeny.

A wristwatch face gives a yearly dose of from .6 to 3 mR, which many granites emit per hour, making a granite countertop give off a thousand times more radiation based on strength of the radiation. Now factor in that the Radium or Tritum in a watch face is a few milligrams or picograms, then consider a ton of granite that is your granite countertop. Laughable!!!

A smoke detector exposes us to less than a millirem of radiation each year. Again Laughable!!!

And their claims that this is all motivated because Quartz products are losing market? Not true, while no true fan of Quartz, it was the fastest growing countertop product last year.

So as you can see, the MIA has little to use in their defense, but plenty of misinformation in their post. I wonder if this is a case of a PR firm needing fired or is it more about an out of control client?

Here is the MIA’s talking points intended for use in debates.

UPDATED RADON MESSAGES
July 28, 2008

This is an artificial crisis. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Reports and repeated independent studies have shown granite countertops pose no health hazard.
o EPA stated Friday: “EPA has no reliable data to conclude that types of granite used in countertops are significantly increasing indoor radon levels.” (http://iaq.custhelp.com/cgibin/iaq.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php)
o University of Akron researchers found no threat. (www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/radontesting_u-akron2008.pdf)
Radon is all around us. Radon is common throughout the United States, typically entering homes through cracks in their foundations or through the water supply.
o The EPA’s prescribed remedy for radon is to ventilate a home affected by the problem.
Research shows granite countertops pose no threat. An independent scientific analysis of a variety of studies shows that, accounting for normal airflow in the typical home, radon contributed by granite countertops ranges from 0.01 – 0.02 pCi/L – levels that are 200 to 400 times lower than the EPA guideline of 4 pCi/L.
o By some measures, the amount of radon emitted by a granite countertop is less than one millionth of that already present in household air from other sources. Many granite countertops do not emit radon at all, and those treated with sealant reduce emissions even further.
The panic is being fueled by parties hoping to benefit financially. Consumer fears benefit companies that manufacture synthetic countertops, who are funding some of the fear-mongering efforts, and by radon detection consultants, who will benefit through the sale of their services.
o Many accusers improperly test for radon using Geiger counters, which cannot measure radon concentrations.
o The emissions they record would be similar to those from wristwatch faces, smoke detectors and television sets.
o Sale of synthetic stone countertops have declined as the popularity of granite has grown in recent years.