solidsurfacealliance.org Blog

AARST, the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technicians, is holding their annual conference this week. Some of our allies in this granite testing effort are presenting studies or papers at the conference, along with other researchers from around the world.

Here are some of the sessions that will be presented.

Kotrappa and Stieff will present a session on measuring building materials ,specifically granite slab samples using Electric Ion Chambers. It looks like they have already done some work on granite and they say their results match other methods of testing.

Hulka, Vleck, and Thomas will present a session on Natural Radioactivity in Building Materials, specifically the Czech experience and European Legislation. Thats right folks, Europe is way ahead of us on this issue, which is why the USA became the dumping ground for too hot granite.

The Czechs have lots of experience in this, with soviet run governments using radioactive mining waste being used for concrete, plaster, and mortar in many homes. Luckily, in the Seventies many of these homes were bulldozed after the problems were discovered, others taken care of in the Nineties.

Another session is from one of our allies, Bill Brodhead, Elevated Radon Levels in High Rise Condominiums From Concrete Emanation. See, it is not just granite countertops that can cause problems. Even if the Radon is coming from low level concrete, there is so much of it in a condo that it can seriously affect the Radon levels in the home. As low as 30 pCi/Sf/Hr will add more Radon than a super hot granite countertop when the floor, ceilings, and walls are made of slightly radioactive cement.

Bill has done some ground breaking testing on granite samples at his Radon lab for us, finding that the backside of some granites can emit as much as 15 times more Radon than the polished front.

DIazAruzo, Haines, and Kitto are presenting a session on the Emission of Radon From Decorative Stone. Dr. Kitto is one of our allies in the testing effort, and this paper covers 35 random stones that were measured for Radon. Fourteen quartz samples were studied as well, which emitted little or no Radon. The study found that Radon from typical granties may be less than 1 pCi/L but can exceed 4 pCi/L in some cases.

Catelinois, Clinard, Aury, Pirad, Noury , Hochard, and Tillier will be presenting a study on the affects of Radon and Lung Cancer in France. They found the granite based Radon areas to be higher, but the sedimentry based Radon was more of a concern because of the increased number of people living in the lowland areas where the sedimentry Radon is present.

Dr. Steck, another of our allies, is presenting a paper on Post Mitigation of Radon Concentrations in Minnesota Homes. Rarely are homes followed up after mitigation systems are installed. This will be important to those who prefer to keep their granite and use ventilation to keep the Radon levels down.

Henry Stewart will be giving a paper on Radon, Thoron and Their Progeny in Lancaster PA Homes, with Dr. Steck, another of our testing effort allies. This study questions the conventional wisdom that Thoron gas can be ignored when testing for Radon because of Thoron’s fast decay times. Some surveys found the Thoron to be higher level than the Radon inside the homes tested.

Radon and Thoron progeny are the elements that the radioactive gases decay into. These heavy metal products can “plate” or stick to humans, clothing, hair, any surface in the rooms. Some of the radiation is stronger than that from the Radon or Thoron itself, in addition to being toxic heavy metals.

Bill Brodhead will be giving a session on Measuring Radon and Thoron Emanation from Concrete and Granite countertops with Continous Radon Monitors and E-Perms. This is the study where he found higher emanation rates from the backside, the unpolished side, of granite countertop samples.

There will also be a panel discussion on Radon professionals in measuring and mitigating Radon from building materials, including granite countertops. Bill Brodhead and Dr. Steck will co chair the discussion along with Wilson and Burkhart.

The issue of granite and Radon has been brought up before at AARST, with little traction on the issue. This time, the joint efforts of the allies in the granite testing effort have placed the issue of Radon and granite countertops at the heart of the conference.