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Offline bijou

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What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« on: July 24, 2008, 03:57:12 PM »
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Tab  (1000+ posts)       Thu Jul-24-08 12:56 PM
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What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
 Advertisements [?]Source: NY Times

SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source.

Testing Reports of granite emitting high levels of radon and radiation are increasing.

Using devices like the Geiger counter and the radiation detection instrument Stanley Liebert measures the radiation and radon emanating from granite like that in Lynn Sugarman’s kitchen counters.

“He went from room to room,” said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.

“My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. “The health risk to me and my family was probably small,” Dr. Sugarman said, “but I felt it was an unnecessary risk.”
...
“It’s not that all granite is dangerous,” said Stanley Liebert, the quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y., who took radiation measurements at Dr. Sugarman’s house. “But I’ve seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/garden/24granite.html...


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Radon is stored in rock, so it's highly likely, though I'd think that countertops, which are only an inch or so at best, would have the gas released from the outer areas and would be trapped or slowly release from the inner areas. I don't know the physics involved, but it's an interesting issue.

Radon generally just needs to be vented - this is why it's a problem in basements (surrounded by rock and usually no venting) but I'd think a kitchen would be decently aired out on a regular basis.

 
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rucognizant (505 posts)      Thu Jul-24-08 01:41 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. I've been watching...........
 those decorating shows...Trading spaces.Flip that House, Extreme Makeover etc. Seems to me that granite and travertine are 2008's pink and black checkerboard tile of the 50's.
Beyond that, Flip T H, Moving Up and First House,undoubrtedly have led some hell bent into the mortgage crisis, feeding the need to have a house.....
WHen so many houses are being forclosed, is this appropriate entertainment?
I'm sorry to hear about your friend!
This article prompts me to have radon testing done here. My farmhouse id=s built on a granite ledge. The former owner his son next door, and the man across the street all died of lung cancer!
As did my son after he had lived here with me for a year............... ( he had other contributing factors!)
The widows either side of me are hail & hearty! The lady across the street lived to be 102!
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Mojorabbit  (1000+ posts)      Thu Jul-24-08 02:58 PM
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16. Crap
 I finished my dream kitchen five years ago with a lovely green granite.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3408083#3408089

I don't think I could live with the constant state of fear  that DUmmies seem to be in. Still it does take their minds off global warming.
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2008, 04:18:31 PM »
Mordern homes built on a concrete slab have that to worry about. Live in a shack and it's no biggie.

Solution: have a lot of chaps, let'em fan the backdoor a lot, waste some energy and add to glowball warming.
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Offline Chris_

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2008, 04:28:07 PM »
Statistics show, 100% of Americans are going to DIE at the end of their life.

Women, kids and minorities will be hardest hit.
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Offline jukin

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2008, 05:32:41 PM »
Quote from: DefiantSix on July 24, 2008, 04:28:07 PM
Statistics show, 100% of Americans are going to DIE at the end of their life.

Women, kids and minorities will be hardest hit.

I don't care who you are, that's funny.

HI5
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Offline Happy Fun Ball

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2008, 05:37:14 PM »
Quote from: DefiantSix on July 24, 2008, 04:28:07 PM
Statistics show, 100% of Americans are going to DIE at the end of their life.

Women, kids and minorities will be hardest hit.
Statistics also show that 100% of them will have come in contact at with dihydrogen monoxide at least once within a week of their deaths.
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Offline djones520

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2008, 05:38:31 PM »
Quote from: Happy Fun Ball on July 24, 2008, 05:37:14 PM
Quote from: DefiantSix on July 24, 2008, 04:28:07 PM
Statistics show, 100% of Americans are going to DIE at the end of their life.

Women, kids and minorities will be hardest hit.
Statistics also show that 100% of them will have come in contact at with dihydrogen monoxide at least once within a week of their deaths.

Did you know that they've found dihydrogen monoxide in the formula that we feed our babies with?
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Offline Lord Undies

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2008, 06:10:47 PM »
Quote from: djones520 on July 24, 2008, 05:38:31 PM
Quote from: Happy Fun Ball on July 24, 2008, 05:37:14 PM
Quote from: DefiantSix on July 24, 2008, 04:28:07 PM
Statistics show, 100% of Americans are going to DIE at the end of their life.

Women, kids and minorities will be hardest hit.
Statistics also show that 100% of them will have come in contact at with dihydrogen monoxide at least once within a week of their deaths.

Did you know that they've found dihydrogen monoxide in the formula that we feed our babies with?

Worse than that, I had my saliva tested.  It has high levels of dihydrogen monoxide.  My doctor said I will die one day.
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Offline djones520

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2008, 06:12:47 PM »
Quote from: Lord Undies on July 24, 2008, 06:10:47 PM
Quote from: djones520 on July 24, 2008, 05:38:31 PM
Quote from: Happy Fun Ball on July 24, 2008, 05:37:14 PM
Quote from: DefiantSix on July 24, 2008, 04:28:07 PM
Statistics show, 100% of Americans are going to DIE at the end of their life.

Women, kids and minorities will be hardest hit.
Statistics also show that 100% of them will have come in contact at with dihydrogen monoxide at least once within a week of their deaths.

Did you know that they've found dihydrogen monoxide in the formula that we feed our babies with?

Worse than that, I had my saliva tested.  It has high levels of dihydrogen monoxide.  My doctor said I will die one day.

Thats horrible news.  :(
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Offline Carl

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2008, 07:11:29 PM »
I grew up on a small dairy farm where the water source was a spring along a brook the cows drank from.
While milking them was subject to all kinds of tail swats after rollinf them in the manure gutter.

You wouldn`t want to know all the things I am immune from. :p
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Offline miskie

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2008, 07:47:05 PM »
I could use some granite countertops -- Ship them my way Dummy - I think I can deal with the radiation.. Oh and BTW, how can you afford granite counters, and then be able to afford to tear them right off in this H.B.E ?
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Offline DixieBelle

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2008, 08:44:11 PM »
Heck, I used to drink dihydrogen monoxide out of a water hose on the side of the house when I was a kid.
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Offline Rebel

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2008, 08:46:21 PM »
I have granite countertops. I'm ok, figuratively speaking.  :-)

Now, who didn't know granite countertops gave off a radioactive signature? I thought this was common knowledge.  :whatever:
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Offline Lord Undies

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2008, 09:15:21 PM »
Quote from: Rebel on July 24, 2008, 08:46:21 PM
I have granite countertops. I'm ok, figuratively speaking.  :-)

Now, who didn't know granite countertops gave off a radioactive signature? I thought this was common knowledge.  :whatever:

Radioactive gas is a more plentiful commodity than knowledge at the DUmp.  They'll smoke dust bunnies and rat droppings, but a granite countertop in the kitchen is just TOO DANGEROUS.   
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Offline BlueStateSaint

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2008, 04:08:40 AM »
Quote from: Lord Undies on July 24, 2008, 09:15:21 PM
Quote from: Rebel on July 24, 2008, 08:46:21 PM
I have granite countertops. I'm ok, figuratively speaking.  :-)

Now, who didn't know granite countertops gave off a radioactive signature? I thought this was common knowledge.  :whatever:

Radioactive gas is a more plentiful commodity than knowledge at the DUmp.  They'll smoke dust bunnies and rat droppings, but a granite countertop in the kitchen is just TOO DANGEROUS.   
:rotf: :lmao: :rotf: :lmao: H5!
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Offline NHSparky

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2008, 08:13:30 AM »
Yeah, only a DUmmie would prefer a crappy looking Corian countertop to $100/sq ft granite.

Oh, and DUmmies?  The equivalent exposure from Radon in your home is NOTHING compared to what you get naturally, nevermind the exposure you give yourself from activities such as smoking, etc.  Yes, Radon is an alpha-emitter, but it is a GAS, and a noble gas at that, meaning if it doesn't decay inside your lungs, it ain't gonna hurt you.  And for the record, the half-life of Radon-222 is 3.8 days. 

Radon is basically only dangerous when it accumulates in low areas of your home with poor ventilation, such as your basement.  So unless she's cooking in her basement, she's a friggin loon.

Even if it decays, the amount of daughter products (Polonium, Lead, Bismuth) is so small, it won't poison you.  Frankly, this moonbat rips out granite countertops which MIGHT give her an increased exposure of a couple of millirem per year (the average American's naturally occuring dose is about 250-300 mr/yr), but thinks nothing of the products under that sink that could kill should the cabinet not be childproofed?

Finally, I wonder what she'd do if she found out how much easier it was for Radon to get into her water?  Radon filtering systems around here are very common.

Talk about misplaced priorities.
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Offline Lauri

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Re: What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? (Granite countertops pose risk)
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2008, 01:12:19 PM »
Quote from: miskie on July 24, 2008, 07:47:05 PM
I could use some granite countertops -- Ship them my way Dummy - I think I can deal with the radiation.. Oh and BTW, how can you afford granite counters, and then be able to afford to tear them right off in this H.B.E ?


did any of the DUmmies notice that this was a person with two homes.. ? the granite counter tops were in *HORROS* a summer home!

how can they have any compassion for a doctor who can afford that? he's a Fascist!!!

:-)
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