Scary article in today''s NY times about granite countertops

[Madam Bijoux]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/garden/24granite.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

 

[HeadOverHeels4James]

WOW!! Thats scary!

 

[jcrow]

wow. that''s surprising.

 

[janinegirly]

Well this is something I definitely didn''t want to see. We have granite counter tops and I''m 7 months pregnant.

I hope it''s exaggerated, these counters are very popular and I have never heard of this.

sigh....

 

[aprilcait]

Eeek!

 

[Kaleigh]

Yikes!!

 

[sbde]

yikes, like you janine i definitely did not want to see this being 3 mos preggo and having just had new countertops installed in the house 1.5 mos ago

 

[absolut_blonde]

A bit scary. But as I understand it (both from the article and asking my dad who always knows about these kinds of things... he's like a science encyclopedia) it's quite rare. Most granite is fine as anything it emits is quite minute. As the article said, even basements emit teeny amounts of radon, much of the time.

 

[peonygirl]

Hey gals! Just wanted to chime in as I just finished taking a physics class two weeks ago that had a significant section on nuclear physics. First, radiation exposure decreases as one over the square of the distance, so most of the time when you''re in your house you''re not experiencing much effect at all from countertops. You would have to get within several feet of them to experience much at all. Also, not all radiation is equivalent to x-rays, which are not recommended while pregnant except in special circumstances. Most common types of radiation are not deeply penetrating at all. . .for example, alpha rays are stopped by a piece of paper, and beta rays wouldn''t be able to penetrate your internal organs much at all. Not sure which one radon is offhand, but I''m pretty sure that it would be one of these and not something like gamma rays because it is mostly linked to lung cancer--thus it is inhaled but doesn''t really spread to other organs much. Of course, these considerations are all in the worst-case scenario that one actually has uranium/radon emitting granite.

A LOT of things emit radiation--even a developing fetus emits a measurable amount of radiation.

Signed,
A TTC chick who is currently too poor for granite.

 

[iheartscience]

Another yikes from me!

 

[diamondfan]

does this stuff ever end?

 

[pennquaker09]

A part of me wants to get mine tested. Personally, I''m kind of over granite, it''s too trendy and if I were to put any in my future kitchen, it be one of the highly exotic varieties because I hate having the same thing everyone else has.

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/25/2008 1:44:27 AM
Author: pennquaker09
A part of me wants to get mine tested. Personally, I''m kind of over granite, it''s too trendy and if I were to put any in my future kitchen, it be one of the highly exotic varieties because I hate having the same thing everyone else has.

That''s how SO feels, too. We''re doing concrete in our new place. Although it can be somewhat ''cold'' and modern-looking, we''re incorporating it with off-white antiqued cabinets and he''ll be doing the countertops in a warm tan shade. I love the cool, smooth surface of stone but granite is really getting to be ubiquitous. If $ were no object, we would also consider things like quartz (which I love). Or even slate, etc.

 

[Hera]

Date: 7/25/2008 1:44:27 AM
Author: pennquaker09
A part of me wants to get mine tested. Personally, I''m kind of over granite, it''s too trendy and if I were to put any in my future kitchen, it be one of the highly exotic varieties because I hate having the same thing everyone else has.

I agree, and there''s some other materials that would be wonderful replacements. I have my eye on quartz, concrete, or soapstone for my countertops in my kitchen when I move. Each has it''s own look depending on what I will want to capture when I go to design my house, either modern, contemporary or traditional.

 

[snlee]

Yikes! How scary!

I am going to stay far away from granite countertops from now on! Just in case.

 

[diamondfan]

For the new house I am building I am definitely open to other materials.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 7/25/2008 3:10:59 AM
Author: absolut_blonde

Date: 7/25/2008 1:44:27 AM

Author: pennquaker09

A part of me wants to get mine tested. Personally, I''m kind of over granite, it''s too trendy and if I were to put any in my future kitchen, it be one of the highly exotic varieties because I hate having the same thing everyone else has.

That''s how SO feels, too. We''re doing concrete in our new place. Although it can be somewhat ''cold'' and modern-looking, we''re incorporating it with off-white antiqued cabinets and he''ll be doing the countertops in a warm tan shade. I love the cool, smooth surface of stone but granite is really getting to be ubiquitous. If $ were no object, we would also consider things like quartz (which I love). Or even slate, etc.

The prices of granite, marble, and the like really depends on where you live. Like, if you''re able to go to a yard and pick your slab out, it''s definitely cheaper than going to Home Depot of Lowe''s. Plus, they don''t even get the best varieties.

I really like soapstone and marble, but I like kitchens and homes that are more traditional and older looking, even if they are new construction. And I like the idea of mixing different materials.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 7/26/2008 11:44:36 AM
Author: diamondfan
For the new house I am building I am definitely open to other materials.

Have you seen the Christopher Peacock kitchens?

 

[ksinger]

I just did a kitchen remodel...with granite of course. I read the article too. I sent a TIC email to a few friends about it, and like most of my friends they too replied TIC.

Mine: You know I told you all that I planned to have the kitchen lit up well after the remodel. And it certainly is. But now I know why it remains so bright in there even with the installed lights OFF.

One friend: Hmmmmm.............. Maybe my dirty, old formica isn''t so bad after all. Besides, I like my cereal cold.

Another friend, who is very funny AND a environmental health and safety engineer for the government, (so his technical info is real) replied: Hmmm...perhaps not, Karen. Radiation emitted by uranium and radon has a frequency many orders of magnitude higher than the human eye can see, and the amount of energy needed to heat any given object in the room sufficiently to generate light in the visible spectrum would be much, much greater than the levels discussed in the article. Consquently, I am inclined to believe that the kitchen being bright even without the lights is a function of the healthy glow on your own newly-wed face, or perhaps you have aliens residing in the backyard, or perhaps you are being overflown by black helicopters. In any case, I would consider your countertops to be the least likely source.
Devin...nice thoughts, HOWEVER, the wood chips that are aggregated into the particle board that supports your formica laminate are treated with formaldehyd, also considered a human carcinogen. AND, whether the plastic laminate is actually formica or some other name brand, it is a polymer, and MOST monomers used in the manufacture of those polymers are carcinogenic as well. Both types of gases will be released from the countertop, albeit in small quantities, for quite some time after their installation. And I won''t even mention the toxicity of the glues and catalysts. However, like you I prefer my cereal cold, and counterrops are an essential component of the kitchen infrastructure.


I just love my snarky friends.

 

[Kay]

Date: 7/24/2008 10:57:52 AM
Author: janinegirly
Well this is something I definitely didn''t want to see. We have granite counter tops and I''m 7 months pregnant.

I hope it''s exaggerated, these counters are very popular and I have never heard of this.

sigh....

Me too. At 6 1/2 months pregnant, I do not want to hear my kitchen and bathroom countertops might be a health risk. It there a simple way to test without hiring someone to come in? I guess I could tell DH I have to stay out of the kitchen for the rest of my pregnancy so he is responsible for cooking and dish washing, etc.

 

[Pandora II]

Houses in Cornwall often have sensors fitted due to the high levels in the environment.

The Cornish have plenty of children and there are no increased levels of abnormalities etc.

I really wouldn't worry.

Unless of course you are planning to throw out your mobile phone, luminous watch dial and a gazillion other things round your house.

 

[golden]

I have never heard about this, but I am a real estate agent and I always advise my clients to have the inspector do a radon test. So here is my question- we bought our house last year, did a radon test, came back normal....so does this mean our granite counter-tops are normal?
What about people living in apartments....this is why it''s good to always do a radon test!