solidsurfacealliance.org Blog

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This Italian study lays out the issues of Radon and Thoron based radiation issues clearly. They lay out the strict correlation between Radon/Thoron and health risks while admiting that sometimes building material based Radon or Thoron are the most likely cause of high levels in a home.

Their materials in the study come from the Lazio region of Italy. Mostly igneous rocks, lava based, although they include some travertines. They point out that as much as 30% loss of result from leakage and back diffusion of the Radon. Back diffusion is where the Radon returns to the material instead of accumulating where it can be measured.

Another point is that moisture content actually raises the Radon release, the water inside the pores stops the Radon atom from recoiling into another crystal matrix inside the stone, stopping the Radon inside the pores and crevices where it can find its way out of the stone. Looking at Table 2, you can see the huge diference in Radon versus Thoron emitted in some stones, yet many of the Radon tests specifically omit any Thoron results as irrelevant. As much as 750 times more Thoron as Radon emitted.

The study has five conclusions, that building materials need to be classified by their Radon/Thoron exhalation rates, that leakage and back diffusion must be accounted for since it can reduce the measured levels by up to 30%, that the exhalation rates are dependent on grain size, humidity and temprature, that Thoron gas is a serious health concern and should not be dismissed, and that there should be catalogs of materials with Radon and Thoron exhalation rates so that builders could choose low level materials.

This Huligar guy is a bit nuts for doing this. If he is right, no harm will come of it, but if he is wrong, his family will have been exposed to some radiation and Radon needlessly. Furthermore, will anyone trust the results on the Radon levels found? Hardly an objective person to run a test despite a webcam.

It ought to be interesting though no matter the outcome. No mention of what they consider a hot slab to be, but I found the bunch some in Pennsylvania at around 150 uR/hr Gamma.

I spent a few weeks prior to the NY Times story educating this bunch, a few decent guys, a few that wouldn’t accept the scienctific facts. Most are not stone fabricators but stone restorers working out of the trunk of their cars.

But, they are trying something, so I should see where it goes. I’d like to see them get the granite up the four flights of stairs in this guys NY apartment.

For more info, to ask questions, or to find a tester, go to forum.solidsurfacealliance.org

The Attorneys have been adversting for granite countertop clients for a while now, but this one makes one realize just how important getting in front of the issue will be for the stone industry.

This lady may have a strong case, but what I read is more about her health problems being blamed on her granite countertop. I could be wrong, but I would have liked to have seen some mention that it was a high level Radon or radiation granite before pinning the blame on the countertop.

But the granite industry has left a problem hanging out there and this should be expected.

For more info, go to forum.solidsurfacealliance.org

This is an older study, but it is important because it shows that the issue of radiation in building materials has been brought up again and again over the years. Granted that in Europe this issue of radioactive building materials was dealt with with regulation, it still took some time to get it passed.

http://www.irpa.net/irpa9/cdrom/VOL.2/V2_53.PDF

For more info, go to forum.solidsurfacealliance.org

The following is a posting by Dan McCarn, an Uranium Geologist that has been helping with testing information and protocols. He provided a report on the Houston granite countertop lab analysis from ARS. The color coded chart is available, but as a spread sheet and will need to be converted into a pdf or Jpeg image for posting.

Dan travels the world working with Uranium mining companies and who would be better at avoiding high urainum levels in granite slabs than someone who has spent his life looking for Uranium? I would highly recomend him as a consultant to any stone company needing advice.

Dear Group:

The following analysis was posted on the RadSafe site for an analysis for a piece of dimension stone. Al Gerhart submitted an analysis which contained some information (U-235, Ra-226) which I used to estimate the total U (Natural) of the stone. Note that this is a “high-graded” sample of a hot-spot. I do not know the methods used for the analysis, nor was it reported with the analysis.

“… a lab report on the countertop in Houston Texas that lead to this flurry of reports. It gave two Radium isotope contents as 1,130 pCi/g or so.

Potassium 40, 53.9 . (Potassium 40 is a radioactive element, the 53.9 is the amount in pCi/G)

Scandium 46 , 31.65

Cobalt 60 , .13

Cesium137 , .189

Thallium 208, 37.8

Lead 210 , 415.5

Bismuth 212 , 85.46

Bismuth 214 , 410.77

Lead 214, 484.99

Radium 226 , 986.95

Radium 228 , 128.34

Thorium 228 , 144.76

Uranium 235 , 37.83

ARS Houston Granite Countertop report

Assuming secular equilibrium between U-238 and U-234 (age of granite > 2 million years) and normal crustal abundance ratios of isotopes of uranium:

Description
Parameter
U-238
U-235
U-234
Natural Uranium

Isotopic Abundance (Solved for Secular Equilibrium Conditions)
Atom %
99.27420%
0.7203%
0.0054547%
100.00000%

Percent Weight Abundance
%w
99.2833%
0.7113%
0.0054%
100.00000%

Activity at time t – Bq
Bq(t)
3.0386E+01
1.3997E+00
3.0386E+01
6.2171E+01

Activity at time t – Ci
Ci(t)
8.2124E-10
3.7830E-11
8.2124E-10
1.6803E-09

Activity at time t – pCi
pCi(t)
821.24
37.83
821.24
1,680.30

Mass in micrograms
ug
2.4433E+03
1.7505E+01
1.3199E-01
2.4610E+03

Mass in milligrams
mg
2.4433E+00
1.7505E-02
1.3199E-04
2.4610E+00

Mass in Grams
g
2.4433E-03
1.7505E-05
1.3199E-07
2.4610E-03

Mass in Kg
Kg
2.4433E-06
1.7505E-08
1.3199E-10
2.4610E-06

% U (g/g)
%U
0.2443%
0.00175%
0.0000132%
0.2461%

Total activity is 1,680.30 pCi per 2.4610E+03 ug U-Nat uranium in secular equilibrium or
0.6828 pCi / ug U-Nat total activity

Ingrowth is essential to understand in order to interpret the meaning of the analyses. The sample would need to be canned for 30 days or so if crushed to achieve secular equilibrium with Bi-214. But, if I assume that the U-235 activity is 37.83 pCi / g given Al’s lab report,

Then:

1) the activity of U-238 should be 821.24 pCi/g, which is in rough equilibrium with Ra-226 (986.95 pCi/g) in Al’s report;

2) the total U-natural should be 2460.96 ug / g or about 0.25% U-Nat for the rock.

3) The Bi-214 value suggests that about 1/2 of the available radon has been emanated from the rock sample, but this might easily be effected by sample handling (crushed, ground, etc.) and not permitting enough time for ingrowth to occur in a sealed container. Since granites typically are in secular equilibrium, I suspect that sample handling is more at fault, but additional analyses would be required to confirm this.

Discussion:

The grade (0.25% U) would be enough to mine if commercial quantities actually showed this endowment, which I strongly doubt for a “plain” granite. However, leaching of uranium from such a zone of mineralization would be easily achieved in a wet, oxidizing environment assuming that the primary uranium minerals were uraninite or coffinite with no silica overgrowths. Petrographic examination of the rock would be necessary to determine this.

When granitic batholiths are intruded, the last remaining watery portions of the magma, having gone through differential precipitation (Bowen Reaction Series), is enriched in uranium and sometimes other metals e.g. tantalum, gold. These quartz-rich remainders can form intra-batholithic intrusions or peri-batholithic intrusions enriched in uranium. I suspect that Al’s rock may, in fact, be something of this nature. Attached is a colorized “image” (uR/Hr) of a four-seasons granite showing highly localized mineralization measured by Al.

I’d say that the only way would be in a vein within a granite, or a pegmatite, but not a granite itself, and the samples were “high-graded” to show a hot-spot, not representative of the overall composition of the granite. Of course what I’d call a pegmatite, and someone else may call granite from the dimension stone business, may be something of an issue!

For an “average” granite composed of 10 ppm U (e.g. Wyoming), the average activity would be 6.828 pCi/g.
For the Rossing anatectic alaskitic granite of 100 ppm U (0.01% U) in Namibia (active uranium mine):

The average activity would be 68.28 pCi/g

D. McCarn

Look for NBC to air a long segment on granite countertops on Thursday morning. They interviewed and filmed both Stan Liebert and Dr. Llopes, along with their labs. Some of the samples from the Solid Surface Alliance, look for larger slab remnants with lines and markings on the face and side edges (grid marks).

The MIA has also been interviewed but expect the same old same old dog and pony show. It will be interesting to see how the interviewers take any attempts to confuse.

The regular programing may well be preempted by the hurricane reports, if so, we will find out the next airing time and provide it here.

Note* The story was usupposed to show on Tuesday, but the weather pushed it back. Teases running on Wednsday said to expect the segment on Thursday.

The MIA is producing many brochures and website pages on the granite countertop and Radon/Radiation, few of which are entirely truthful.

Here are exerts from one, along with my comments in bold.

ANSWERS TO CUSTOMERS’ QUESTIONS ABOUT GRANITE COUNTERTOPS
Q: I was thinking about installing granite countertops in my home, but after reports I’ve seen (and/or read) recently, I’m having second thoughts. Are granite countertops safe?
A: Yes. Many of the reports are based on questionable science and provide misleading information which is taken out of context. Note the lack of supporting info, name one instance please.

If you want to know the real truth about granite, check studies that have been conducted over the years by well-respected scientists and independent research organizations. I guess if you consider being paid by the MIA to do the work independent
Study findings have been consistent: radon emissions from granite countertops aren’t even close to posing a health risk. But were the few samples picked for being low level? It’s true that samples can vary and some samples can be more of a source of radiation than others – but the highest emission rates ever reported in scientific literature result in concentrations that are hundreds of even thousands of times lower than the EPA’s guidelines. Hardly, we have been over this lie many times, Dr. Chyi’s finding of Crema Bordeaux was only 14 times lower than the EPA action level, and that study was hardly objective.
Q: I’m nervous about my granite countertops. I want you to rip them out of my kitchen right now
A: Be reassured that your granite countertops are every bit as safe as they are beautiful, practical and durable. They show someone waiving a Geiger counter over a granite countertop and it starts clicking. It’s definitely sensational – but totally meaningless. No, the presence of radiation shows the need to do further Radon testing. The Geiger counters and scintillators detect the daughter products of the Radon. Compared to the radiation levels of everyday things in our homes and neighborhoods, the radiation levels produced by granite countertops are minuscule. That is a bald faced lie. You may not realize that a Geiger counter will also click if you waive it over a smoke detector, many wristwatches, your television, your computer, a bowl of Brazil nuts or potatoes on your kitchen table, cinder block walls in your garage, or even many kinds of glazed pottery in your living room. Actually not many Radium watches are still ticking, few people spend much time around a smoke detector nor is the mass as large as a granite countertop, the TV and Computer put off electromagnetic radiation not ionizing radiation, Cinder blocks can be about the same radiation levels as low level granite countertops, and while I have yet to find any Brazil nuts to test, we have done testing on potatoes and can tell you that the MIA is lying through their teeth when they compare the unreadable radiation levels in potatoes to a granite countertop that is easily measured. There may be an odd plate or vase with radiation, yet no where near the mass of a granite countertop. An interesting point, the pottery industry will warn you about the issues, and tell you not to eat or drink off these items to prevent ingestion of uranium leached out of the glaze.

Q: So, you deny that granite countertops can cause radiation and give me and my family cancer?
A: The amount of radiation produced by the typical granite countertop is minuscule compared to things we have around our homes. Read above, an outright lie. None of the research studies of granite countertops has ever identified a single stone that poses any significant health threat. False, the MIA is aware of the work being done by Kitto, Steck, and Llope. They also know that the EPA has warned that some granite countertop materials have very high levels of uranium. While it’s true that samples can vary and some samples can be more of a source of radiation than others – the highest emission rates ever reported in respected scientific literature result in concentrations that are hundreds of even thousands of times lower than the EPA’s guidelines. Absolutely false, even the study the MIA paid for refutes their statement!
Q: Why would the media say that granite countertops are not safe if it isn’t true?
A: The sad truth is that consumer fears benefit companies that manufacture synthetic countertops, two of which are funding some of the fear-mongering efforts, and by radon detection consultants, who will benefit through the sale of their services. Actually, the Radon industry in general provided zero support till the last few weeks, even now there are a few remaining skeptics. One of the sponsors of Build Clean even quit the testing effort after attempting to hold back the testing effort. Build Clean is completely independent.Q: Why should I believe a word you say? You want to sell me a granite countertop!
A: I won’t deny that I’d love to sell you a granite countertop, but I would not sell you anything unless I was sure that you know that granite countertops are safe for you and your family. Note that they didn’t say that they were sure, they said “you know”. I have a home. I have a (wife/husband). And I have (# of children). Obvious this is a fill in the blank form letter or talking points that the MIA members are supposed to use to convince people to lay their hard earned money down.

They go on by trying to say every countertop emits some poisonous substance in varying amounts. Nice try….Here is the MIA web page where they say all this and more.