Building materials that are made up of sandstone concrete brick natural stone gypsum and granite are highly unlikely to contain radioactive material that will increase radiation dose above the low levels of background radiation we receive on a daily basis.
Is there radiation in marble.
Radon originating from the soil beneath homes is a more common problem and a far larger public health risk than radon from granite building materials.
While radon gas and radiation emission levels attributable to granite are not typically high there are simply too many variables to generalize about the potential health risks inside a particular home that has granite countertops.
However keep in mind that avoiding granite countertops does not mean you avoid radiation or radon gas emissions in your home.
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals most commonly calcite or dolomite marble is typically not foliated although there are exceptions in geology the term marble refers to metamorphosed limestone but its use in stonemasonry more broadly encompasses unmetamorphosed limestone.
The lowdown on granite radiation.
There is still the issue of the rising number of reports from both homeowners and radon inspectors of granite slabs going significantly beyond acceptable levels of radiation to the epa recently.
Marble is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material.
Visit the conference of radiation control program directors crcpd exit website to find the radiation program contact for each state.
It is believed that this is the result of the introduction of exotic granite slabs into the us.
Therefore the travertine beige marble white and other colored carbonated marbles which make up 95 of turkey s marble production do not have any emission in terms of radiation and.
After all there are always exceptions to the rule.
Granite and marble do emit tiny but noticeable amount of radiation in different proportions.
The second is by direct radiation from the surface itself to the homeowner.
There are two ways in which countertops tiles and other finishes made of granite might emit any level of radiation.
The first is by release of tiny amounts of the radioactive gas radon which can be breathed in.
How much radiation exposure can i get from building materials.
Radiation and radon are generally lower in marbles but both marble and granite has been studied for many years on these issues.
Here is a link for several studies from all over the world.