Comments on Cranky Fitness: Radioactive Granite--Who Can I Blame?

yes it's true that not all the granite emits radon...

2009-03-06T01:36:00.000-05:00

yes it's true that not all the granite emits radon. There are various good radon test devices available in the market which can be use easily by anyone.

Best keep looking for info on this topic rather th...

2008-12-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

Best keep looking for info on this topic rather than believe the stone industry. Way too much money at risk, plus the have sucessfully covered this up for the past 14 years. They can’t tell the truth, so they keep digging the hole deeper.

If this was a non issue, neither the CRCPD (state radiation officials) nor AARST (radon scientists) would have committees seting maximum allowable radiation/radon levels for stones and measurement protocols. ANSI and ASME are also looking into the controversy for their organizations.

On the radon issue, we have a full scale radon test going currently, over 10 pCi/L so far from only 18square feet of granite in a 96 square foot room. That is like smoking 1 1/2 packs a day,
http://forum.solidsurfacealliance.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=98ST

We have a lot of info on the topics available.

forum.solidsurfacealliance.org

solidsurfacealliance.org/blog

solidsurfacealliance.org

I guess that gives a whole new meaning to the fact...

2008-08-03T07:38:00.000-04:00

I guess that gives a whole new meaning to the fact that I would die for that kitchen.

In reality what no one tells us is that granite is...

2008-07-30T14:14:00.000-04:00

In reality what no one tells us is that granite is gorgeous but often impractical for people who actually use their kitchens to cook, as are stainless steel sinks and appliances. The former stain, the latter scratch. They are stunning to look at but a pain to take care of, and I'd rather have marble (which scratches and stains too) or tile and porcelain. The glue under old formica finishes outgassing after awhile and shouldn't be a problem.

For myself I wouldn't worry about radiation from my granite if I had it, radiation is everywhere, and people still live near Chernobyl (not that they don't have problems!). It's just that there is nowhere that is truly safe from everything, and we carry around some sort of genetic time bomb anyway. I feel it's more likely that a bus that hits one while crossing the street (metaphorically) is more likely what we have to watch out for.

For those of us who are older and lived this, and for those who are younger and grew up with even more stuff in their food and air,I give you Bucky Covington's :

A Different World

We were born to mothers who smoked and drank
Our cribs were covered in lead based paint
No child proof lids no seat belts in cars
Rode bikes with no helmets and still here we are, still here we are
We got daddy's belt when we misbehaved
Had three TV channels you got up to change
No video games and no satellite
All we had were friends and they were outside, playin’ outside

Chorus
It was a different life
When we were boys and girls
Not just a different time
It was a different world

School always started the same every day
The pledge of allegiance then someone would pray
Not every kid made the team when they tried
We got disappointed and that was all right, we turned out all right

No bottled water, we drank from a garden hose
And every Sunday, all the stores were closed

It was a different world...

It's hard to get some kind of rational balance bet...

2008-07-29T09:18:00.000-04:00

It's hard to get some kind of rational balance between appropriate caution and outright fear.

Mostly I think that everything in the news is hype and largely not worth taking seriously at all.

On the other hand, in a family with absolutely no history of cancer, my mother just died of ovarian cancer, and my uncle (on the other side) died of pancreatic cancer a few years ago. The only thing that they really had in common was living in roughly the same place for a few months every year of their lives. But not with granite countertops.

And so, maybe there's deep meaning to that, and maybe it's just one of those statistical blips of nothingness. Like all the other reports.

I have family that comes from Broken Hill, an Aust...

2008-07-28T22:30:00.000-04:00

I have family that comes from Broken Hill, an Australian town that hosts a lead mine and has fro the length of it's existance. The people living there take it for granted that you don't rest food on any surface that has been exposed for more then 15 minutes. They don't drink water that hasn't been purafied (they've also been in drout for over 40 years) and they wash there hands after touching anything. And the town stil has one of the highest mortality rates in Australia.
Granit counter tops are nothing to worry about.

I've started eating less processed food, for fear ...

2008-07-28T20:38:00.000-04:00

I've started eating less processed food, for fear of the chemicals and carcinogens and crap that I am ingesting...but I never considered my countertops as dangerous!! A (scary) reminder of how unaware we are of what can affect us....

I wish my dining room was a hottub.

Since you moved to the east coast, you might also ...

2008-07-28T19:10:00.000-04:00

Since you moved to the east coast, you might also have a cinder block basement. The radiation coming from those can blacken a radiation worker's badge half way through the month.

It's naturally occurring radiation that we humans have been living with for centuries. Any material that comes out of the earth is likely to be radio active.

I don't give it a 2nd thought.

that's why i always preferred marble.wait, they do...

2008-07-28T18:16:00.000-04:00

that's why i always preferred marble.

wait, they do make marble countertops, right?

i have no clue what i'm talking about. don't mind me. all i know is i will probably never be able to afford granite or marble, so it doesn't even matter.

Phooey! I do so long for a granite counter top, b...

2008-07-28T17:10:00.000-04:00

Phooey! I do so long for a granite counter top, but now I'll be paranoid that radioactive waves will be oozing from it and into my body!

Stupid media! Never is any fun.

Oh, I was going to add that I had a cancer diagnos...

2008-07-28T16:45:00.000-04:00

Oh, I was going to add that I had a cancer diagnosis but no granite countertops (just cheap HomeDumpo) though my sister has granite and no cancer.
I'm thinking there's a law suit here somewhere.

Yes!

2008-07-28T16:42:00.000-04:00

Yes!

We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel even as w...

2008-07-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel even as we speak and last week, after much lamenting, finally decided we could not afford the granite countertops right now (since we also need to put in new hardwood floors).

Maybe that's not such a bad thing ;-)

Rebecca? Hate to say it, but when I was house hunt...

2008-07-28T15:03:00.000-04:00

Rebecca? Hate to say it, but when I was house hunting the lack of a bath tub was an immediate reason to cross the house off my list.

You're not the only one who is pro-shower though -- I saw several houses that lacked a tub, so there must be plently of people out there who would think "hot diggity! no tub to scrub!" and snap up your house ASAP.

i don't think there is any way to escape all the p...

2008-07-28T14:58:00.000-04:00

i don't think there is any way to escape all the potential dangers out there. I am starting to look at it like this.....control what we can like our eating and exercise and we have a leg up on the battle.

whew! Good thing our new place doesn't have that r...

2008-07-28T14:33:00.000-04:00

whew! Good thing our new place doesn't have that radioactive counter top anymore!

and I am also hooked on those renovating shows, mostly because I am waiting for them to show up at my house with new (free) appliances, carpet, and paint.

anyone? Anyone?
(bueller...)

As has already been stated, the world has been liv...

2008-07-28T14:10:00.000-04:00

As has already been stated, the world has been living with granite forever.

Most of us grew up with lead paint, pesticides and asbestos, so if we are going to get cancer, it is already there.

This seems kind of like the plastic water bottle c...

2008-07-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

This seems kind of like the plastic water bottle craze a couple months ago. There are bad chemicals in the plastic water bottles, but not enough to really make it a big danger. So I'm not going to worry too much about the granite....except for the fact that I do have stone countertops, I just have NO idea what kind of stone they are! I bought the condo already done and haven't changed anything in it. It does give me pause. But I'll probably be too lazy to test it...

I probably already have 8 types of cancer. Our are...

2008-07-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

I probably already have 8 types of cancer. Our area of the city is known having radon, so we have a randon-mitigation system, which basically equates to an uber expensive fan that blows the radon from our basement out into the world. Seems like a crock to me.

Oh, and I've only replaced about half of my cleaners with green ones, and we used regular paint, not the low VO2 stuff.

Seriously, how am I even alive now?!

Eek, attack of the killer countertops!Sounds like ...

2008-07-28T12:15:00.000-04:00

Eek, attack of the killer countertops!

Sounds like a really great 80's horror movie.

Well I don't have granite countertops or stainless...

2008-07-28T11:33:00.000-04:00

Well I don't have granite countertops or stainless steel appliances. We have soapstone counters, reminds me of a chem lab, but I didn't choose them, and we've gotten several compliments on them. Our appliances are black, and a PITA to keep clean looking. The previous homeowners must not have used their kitchen at all.

We had our house tested for radon before we moved in, so I'm going to live in peace for awhile.

I wish the cable company would let you choose 5 channels because I swear we only watch HGTV, DIY, Food Network, and BBC America. Sometimes HGTV will just stay on all day as we wonder around the house doing nothing.

Jesus Christ. Reports about "toxins" in this or "p...

2008-07-28T11:18:00.000-04:00

Jesus Christ. Reports about "toxins" in this or "poisonous" that are usually easy for me to take with a grain of salt or just ignore, but RADIATION?! That just freaks me right out.

Good thing I live in an apartment. :)

I suspect the danger is being hyped out of proport...

2008-07-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

I suspect the danger is being hyped out of proportion. Nevertheless, I'm glad of my fifties-era tile countertop. It could use a re-grout and a few tile replacements, but at least it's not hazardous to my health. Not until the next government study, of course.

You mean I don't have to draw the shades anymore??...

2008-07-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

You mean I don't have to draw the shades anymore??? Whew!!

Thank God for my tacky 1970's white-with-gold-flecks-countertops!!! No radon poisoning for me!

I'll just ignore the glue-poisoning comments and live my blissfully ignorant life in peace.

It's odd...I think I'm one of the few that actuall...

2008-07-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

It's odd...I think I'm one of the few that actually doesn't want stainless appliances. Black is nicer to me - I've worked in too many restaurants to see how hard they are to keep clean...and they remind me of work :). As long as I have a gas convection oven (my prrrrrrreciousssssssssss) I'm happy.

I didn't know about the whole radioactive granite thing tho...what if you got cultured rock instead? I've always wanted slate. Is slate bad too?
Oh dear...perhaps I'll just get a hazmat suit then...

I'm with you on the home reno porn...I don't watch much TV but I'll watch reno shows all night if you let me!