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An ounce of prevention is worth more than a granite countertop
So I was reading this New York Times article on radon off-gassing from granite countertops, and I was intrigued by this passage:
The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day.
Now, I'm not a smoker. In fact, I'm asthmatic, and people I love have been killed by smoking-related cancers. There's no doubt about it: I'm biased against cigarette smoking. So maybe it's unrealistic of me to think that if someone I loved was smoking -- even less than half a pack a day -- and all I had to do to get them to stop was take away the cigarettes. . . does this seem obvious to anyone else?
But maybe that confuses the issue. After all, there are complex politics around cigarettes, but I don't think many people would argue over their right to have radioactive granite countertops in their houses, when there are safer options (including safer granite options) available. Which is what Dr. David J. Brenner of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University was getting at when he said
“It makes sense. If you can choose another counter that doesn’t elevate your risk, however slightly, why wouldn’t you?”
And you know, I think that's true of most of the toxic exposures we talk about in this neck of the blogosphere. I'm always puzzled by the people who want to wait until there's conclusive evidence of extensive harm to human health before making changes to their lifestyles or the law. By then, the damage is already done. If we can prevent it from happening, shouldn't we?
Need to get your counter tested?
For radon testing, the Times recommends contacting the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists or ordering a kit from the EPA or your local indoor air environment office.
Photo by dotpolka.
I agree! This is something I cannot understand either - why do people wait; how many should die until we learn? Another thing I cannot understand is the lack of care from our government institutions. Why not applying the rule "better safe than sorry" (as the E.U. does). Does the "cruelty free" slogan applies only to animals?
We understand why people are alarmed by this story, but the Marble Institute of America wants to assure people that the granite most commonly used in U.S. countertops is safe. In fact, the highest radon emissions ever reported in scientific studies are still lower than the EPA’s guidelines. The MIA recognizes that radon and radiation may vary by sample, but studies have yet to find any stone that poses any significant health risk. Unfortunately, much of the confusion is being created by inconsistent methodologies used in measuring radon emissions from granite countertops. The MIA is working to help develop testing standards to eliminate the inconsistencies.
Benson Kelsey, Cohn & Wolfe on behalf of the Marble Institute of America
Benson Kelsey,
Cohn & Wolfe is the big tobacco PR firm hired by the MIA. Why should anyone believe a word you say?
The facts are that AARST (radon scientists organization) and the CRCPD (state radiation protection officials) are currently running comittees advising the EPA on setting standards for radiation and radon in granite countertops. The MIA is desperately fighting the effort, knowing that in their latest study they tested 39 full slabs of granite and had 18 of the 39 fail the European Union safe standards for granite.
As to inconsistant methods of measuring granite radon, your own study and protocol is being called "unreliable", "incomplete", and "untrustworthy" by the radon research community.
You need to go back to pushing cigarettes.
We have a ton of info on this topic on our forum.