Sep 2, 2008 7:34 pm US/Pacific
ConsumerWatch: Are Granite Countertops Safe?
EPA Radon Hotline at 1-800-745-7236
(CBS 5)
Tom Widner is remodeling his kitchen and he is not at all concerned about recent reports of radiation levels from granite countertops.
"We need to put it into perspective. Anything we take out of the ground, out of the Earth will have some radiation in it," said Widner, who is also a radiation safety expert.
To prove his point, Widner used a radiation survey meter to test levels.
"You can hear some clicking which indicates there is some radiation activity material, which is what we expected, but it is very low levels," Widner explained as he put the countertop to the test.
To put this level of radiation into perspective, Tom compared his granite counter tops to a banana and the banana has the same level of radiation as the countertops. Soil and tanbark Widner tested also had the same results. While the older ceramic fiesta plate gave out four times the radiation of the granite.
But Widner said radiation exposure can be dangerous to one group of people, smokers.
"The combination of the smoking and the radon exposure can really increase people's risk of lung cancer," Widner said.
There are things you can do to lower your exposure to radiation in your kitchen. They include keeping rooms ventilated, considering man-made material countertops and testing your home with a kit available at hardware stores.
And if you still have concerns about granite countertops and radiation, consider this, Widner said, "If I didn't think it was safe for myself and my family, I wouldn't be doing it in my home."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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