Don't Take a Geiger Counter Into a Granite Showroom

Even though probably nobody ever died of the problem, there is no reason why this natural product should not be scanned for known possible dangers. There are thousands of laws on traffic: if we are all careful, attentive, slow driving people, then why do we need them? All food is being checked and doublechecked: why is this necessary if we are all responsable consumers, resellers, producers? All iron ore is being checked on radioactivity before being used in whatever they make of it.

Any reason why this product should not be checked properly? Except for reasons of profit ...

Wow, they've discovered the wheel once more time!

Radioactivity of granite due to radon is an old stuff. If anybody watch the satellite images of Spain recording for gamma radiation energies can see that NW of Madrid, what is called Gredos's Sierra is the most radioactive area of the country. Some "pseudo-environmentalists" say it's because the proximity of a twin reactor NPP, but strangely the images don't follow a pattern which may remind a NPP, just follow the Sierra contour! If you go to visit the place you'll find a gross granitic mountains.

What it's expected? A law forbidding the granitic mountains? and the radioactive ores sites? and the cosmic radiation?

Have this woman made a simple experiment like to take a radiation dosimeter, zeroed it, take a three or four hours flight and upon landing look what the dosimeter reads?

I've done it and don't claim to make more "green" flights.

Please a bit more seriousness!!!

Kind regards

Good point in not wanting panic over so little a possibility of danger.

But even if it is a natural aspect of the material, it wont all have the same level of radiation, and some people working in those mines will be more affected by this material than us consumers. Is it unlikely that these people could suffer health effects of this radiation? If the possibility exists, then isn't it worth doing something to diminish that risk?

Never work any stone dry so that the particles and dust can enter your nose and lungs.

With certainty these particles will damage you.

First of first by quartz: highly poisonous if inhaled. If massive exposition you will still have a life of 3 ! months. Early tunnel drilling and blasting teams did experience this. The illness is called silicosis. This causes non-healing and irreversible lung damage!

So if you like to do concrete cutting or sandblasting at home or elsewhere be sure to have the best possible protection!!!

Same for radioactivity: if inhaling small amounts of radioactive material - and if this is partially an alpha-emitter this will be in solution if you are lucky and swept out passing and damaging your kidneys (with the chance of recovery). If you are unlucky the particles will be big enough to attach permanently to some tissue (big particles in nose and throat, finer down to the lung).

After some time the chance will be good that an alpha particle hit the DNA of a neighbour cell at a wrong location. This is the start of cancer.

As there will be a lot of these particles inside your nose or lung if only one cut in granite has been done and one small grain of "Pitchblende" has been pulverised you will not be happy for a long time.

This is much worse than the asbestos turmoil.

Remember: fired tiles may have the same ingredients as one major source for raw material is weathered granite!

Remember 2: Your body contains a lot of radioactivity - but the much less critical beta-emitting potassium. 40% is radioactive!

The hit to do real damage is to be located where the gene of the cells self destroying mechanism is encoded.

This to hit is extremely unlikely and to let the cell living and multiplying faster than normal is more unlikely.

Don't worry! Be a little bit cautious.

Most critical way to die is in household and street-accidents! Next is malnutrition.

RHABE

It's not a question of mining working. It's just of the natural emitted radiation even at ground level. If you search a map of natural ground radiation in our whole planet you'll find there are big differences (more than one magnitude order) between different places in which human beings live from ancient times. Those have been exposed to quite different radiation doses over generations and there are no significant differences (no one of them have horns and tail).

It's obvious that we must avoid danger, but we can't change the Nature.

Kind regards

Hi,

typical European granite is said to containing uranium between 50 and 150 g/t.

So 3 tons will have 1 lb.

Together with the not so bad uranium are the very many decay elements, most radioactive, some pretty bad, fortunately only a tiny amount.

It is good to know how much is in your home.

Still not worth while to mine and extract, sometime we may see this if demand goes up.

Switzerland had a program for private house-owners to detect the amount of Radon from underground entering the house. And take countermeasures if too much.

Not only granite but many other rocks too will show radioactivity of a potentially harmful level.

RHABE

Buy a Gieger Counter and take it with you everywhere if you want a real scare. Look especially close at toilets and other ceramics. Even the gypsum wall boards could produce a little energy. In fact, even though some forms of radiation are very dangerous you live with it around you every day. It is inescapable but you can limit exposure if you have nothing else to do with your life.

Holy smokes - its almost as if the entire world was infused by a weak nuclear force! Somebody call Stephen Hawking...maybe he can get to the bottom of this!

That reminds of the lulu who wanted to rent my house back in the early nineties and came in with one of those EM field meters to check the EM fields given off by the refrigerator compressor motor. Needless to say, I did not accept their application for rental. There will always be those on the fringe who fixate on little or virtually non-existent problems who can't see the %*&^ing forest for the trees. This woman is obviously one of those Bozo's with all due respect for Larry Harmon, Frank Avruch, et al.

Here it is about Granite Radioactivity

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/granite-countertops-and-radiation