Hello to all. I find this post very interesting as I had a local TV news reporter call me this morning to ask me to do an interview about this very subject. I unfortunately could not as I was in the middle of a very important meeting. I did however refer her to a feloow NACHI inspector from our local chapter Mr. Ralph Quinn and he called me back this afternoon to give me an update. They interviewed him for over 30 minutes and part of it will be aired tonight on the local Greenville/Spartanburg Channel & news. The reporter is also planning on doing a series on indoor air quality and I may be part of it. So from an mold prospective any insight or input you can give me would be appreciated as I prep for this. When I find the interview from Ralph online I will post a link here.
Keep up the great work you are all doing my fellow iNACHI brothers.
The problem with all of this is that there is no testing protocol for granite. Certainly, you can take a grab sample or even a passive or cm, but to what comparative standard are you testing? Much of the EPA testing protocol is intended to not create false positive test results. For example, the EPA discourages testing near an open sump pump as it may result an a level that does not fairly represent the occupant exposure. This runs contrary to some sensibilities, in that we should test for a “worse case”. So the question that has not been addressed is: “how much radon can counter tops produce before they’re considered to be unsafe?” If you are a tester and cannot answer that question, you should reconsider offering validity to this claim.
Granite does emit radon in small quantities from the very outer surface, so the amount is greatly affected by surface area. The amount of surface area in a granite counter top in relation to the granite volume is quite small, especially in comparison to a quantity of crushed stone.
The alarm has been generated because most granite comes from over seas- China, India, Korea. It sits in tightly closed shipping containers where there is a relatively high surface area / space ratio. The accumulation of radiation in the confined space is enough to trigger the radiation monitors at the us sea ports.
The University of Akron has published a report essentially disproving the granite / radon hazard corillation. The surface area just doesn’t exist to produce radon faster than it decays. I would think twice about stowing-away in a granite shipping container. If I were a terrazzo worker, I might protect myself. Kitchen counter tops… not so much.
In any event, no press is bad press. We should welcome the opportunity to educate the public and encourage proper testing.
PS: Bill Levy at Associated Radon Services can also be helpful.
Bill is on the east coast of Florida.
Here is his prices
Pre-paid radon emanation radium-226, gross gamma radiation fee schedule:
Gross Gamma radiation scan test result units will be µR/hr above background , 1-3 day turnaround, recommend any size but full thickness of counter , $35.00 per sample
Radon emanation from surface test result unit will be **pCi/sq.ft./second **4-14 day turnaround, sample size must accommodate minimum **9" diameter circle, ****$ 75.00 per sample **
Radon emanating Radium 226 fraction test unit will be pCi/gram and Radon level pCi/l inside chamber/per square inch, 8 - 30 day turnaround, sample size must pass through a 3.5" dia hole and no longer than 6" (can change if any demand ) , $ 75.00 per sample up to 9, 10 or more together $50.00 per
**Payment must accompany samples, report can be E-Mail, Fax or Ist class mail **
Must ship UPS, FEDEx ground, or DHL no motor freight ; at this time we have 52 emanation chamber capacity ; contact KMLevy@radonserv.com or wlevy@radonserv.com Samples are held for 21 days and automatically disposed of unless other instructions are provided.
Bill
William Levy
ASSOCIATED RADON SERVICES
Fl DOH and NRPP Certified Analytical Radon Laboratory
5136 SE Orange St. Stuart, FL 34997
800-741-0629 772-219-4334
Fax 772-287-1341 www.radonserv.comwlevy@radonserv.com
http://www.thishomeinspector.com/blog/23
i blogged about it on my site, links to akron study, Reuters article about it, and the original New York Times Article…
I recently attended a 2 day Radon measurement course and was told that the AARST(American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists) would be releasing a statement regarding Radon and granite counter tops.
Associated Radon Services has had a granite testing lab and field technician test program in operation for the past 8 months some of the testing results are www.radonserv.com http://www.graniteradontesting.com/