Granite countertops. Radioactive?

[Robatoy]

Interesting:

[Robatoy]

Funny you should say that. I have a clown near here, who sells absolute crap granite counters and quotes prices less than my solid surface. No warranty, very shabby installation and a lot of unhappy customers. This will just give me another tool to stave off the influx of garbage. People tend to think that granite is granite...not so. Not even close.

[David G. Nagel]

My advice to those people who think that they will get cancer from their granite counter tops is to stay as far away from other people as they can. Elements in the human body are also radioactive. In fact one of the key elements needed to keep the human or any animal hear pumping is radioactive.

[Lee Michaels]

"Robatoy" showed us this link,,,

you could offer a "free countertop radiation evaluation" service.

Make some ad showing you holding a geiger counter wearing some kinda geeky uniform.

[Upscale]

[Lew Hodgett]

"Robatoy" complained about a low ball competitor in his hood.

Reminds me of a time in my life when I did a lot of business with auto dealership owners.

I always approached them the same way.

"Sir, are classic rolls are reversed."

"This time you are buying and I am selling."

"When conducting business dealings, I always remember that you can not f*ck an honest man."

"How do you want to do business?"

Everyone of them understood.

Some of the best customers I ever had.

Lew

[RicodJour]

Yep. Put on a Tyvek suit and a PAPR and charge $350 for the 15 minute Hazardous Material Removal Consultation.

R

[N Hurst]

Or they can get a $400 discount on some new quartz or Corian counter tops.

[RicodJour]

Discount? With the radioactivity frying your waist level equipment every time you use the sink or get a dish? No way! There's not even time to get a second estimate.

"I'd recommend that it be removed ASAP. I could get the guys in here tonight. Ted's got his daughter's wedding this weekend, but this is more important and I know he'll come. You'll have to stay in a motel for a week while we cordon off the property and erect the containment fencing."

R

[Aardvark]

The main railway station in Edinburgh (that's in Scotland), Waverley Station, is built into solid granite. I was told once that if a nuclear plant had the same ambient radioactivity (or whatever they call it) the plant would be evacuated and shut down for a very loooong time :-)

Granite is, apparently, a naturally radioactive mineral.

[Tom Watson]

You should consider your self fortunate.

I have Lou Irion as a competitor.

What's my marketing plan?

Regards, Tom.

Thos. J. Watson - Cabinetmaker

[Ross Hebeisen]

I think too many people just take it for granite. besides it more than likely only causes cancer in california. ross

[Robatoy]

ouch

[Han]

Robatoy wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I believe the main radioactive component in granite is a uranium-containing mineral. Uranium is radioactive, but emits only alpha particles, ie helium nuclei. Their energy is very low, and will not even penetrate the topmost layer of skin, which is already dead tissue. It is likely that table salt is more dangerous.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

That's probably potassium. IIRC the largest internal contributor to a typical person's radiation dosage, is from K-40 in the body. Carbon, (C-14 and C-13) comes in second.

Of course you would get along fine with only Phosphorus - 31 and C-12, isotopes are chemically identical.

Uranium is an alpha-emitter, and alphas don't get very far, not even in air, and usually will not penetrate through clothing or even the layer of naturally dead and dying skin sells on the surface of one's skin. Radon is also an alpha emitter, but because it is a gas it can be inhaled end emit the gamma inside of the lungs where live tissue is exposed.

Because it is naturally present in granite, the granite will also have all of the Uranium decay daughters and some of those are gamma and beta emitters. Granites also contains potassium-40.

That said, the figures in the articles showed that _some_ granites are a lot hotter than others and probably should be avoided.

[Keith nuttle]

think that if you check many of stones and concretes are to some degree radio active, and as said before would fail the criteria for a nuclear power plant.

This is one reason why we should reevaluate government regulation to make it easier to build nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is the one and only clean energy. A nuclear plant can be built on a finite amount of land. The energy output can be double or tripled in the same space. (Based on the original design of the Shearon Harris plant.)

Forgetting the obvious benefits of a clean cheap energy source of energy, the facilities can provide large of lakes and recreational facilities. (Again the Shearon Harris plant as an example)

Based on the windmill farm in southern California, it takes about 8 acres ground for one windmill--> more energy, more windmills, and more acres are cleared and many access roads built to service the windmill farm. These acres can be used only for windmills because of the revolving blades.

Corn is similar, I believe it takes about 25 acre per year to make one tank truck of alcohol (4000 gallons). Believe it or not there is a limited amount of farmable land available in the world. Do the math.

Acres farmland available = Acres for energy corn production + acres for food production (animal and human) One goes up the other goes down.

Alcohol is not an viable fuel source. People don't do much in the acres used to grow corn.

[Curran Copeland]

I think that if you check many of stones and concretes are to some degree

Isn't one of the problems with that design the "lake"or cooling pond? If I remember right the water in the pond is "hot" when compared to other bodies of water in the area. This could lead to such enviormental disasters as: ducks not wanting to fly south in the winter, open water fishing in winter, larger fish then in other bodies of water. When there was a proposed plant being built near Louisville Ky the tree huggers were saying that the river temp would be 5 to 10 degrees higher then normal in the Ohio river. They were right the water at the plant was supposed to be up to 5 degrees higher then normal but by the time it hit Louisville 30 miles down stream it would be 2 degrees or less higher then normal, according to the engineers. The plant was never finished, converted to a coal fired plant and then never finished or used.

[Kate]

"Did you know, that swallowing small amounts of saliva, over a long period of time, causes cancer?" George Carlin

That's about where I classify this sort of thing. If they tested every square inch of our little worlds we would find that there is no place safe. Those that are turned to jelly from something like this will find some other benign element else to kill them eventually - wind or rain or sun - oh yea - they already blamed those.

K.

[Robatoy]

Looking at bacon under a microscope, running with scissors, yup, all fall in that category. I think that the interesting part was that there is a lot of difference between origin and grades of granite. Some of it, quite 'hot' compared to those levels allowed at nuclear plants. (My oldest daughter is an operator at a 3500MW generating station and she has shared some of knowledge her about 'safe' levels of different radiations.)

But.... if you have a choice between NO emissions or 'some' emissions from a countertop, it is my duty to inform the client. The same way as I do when I strongly suggest the use of an acrylic based product over a polyester based countertop.

At the same time, I don't think that the owners of granite are going to give birth to three-headed lizards.

r

[Kate]

"Robatoy" wrote

Looking at bacon under a microscope, running with scissors, yup, all fall in that category. I think that the interesting part was that there is a lot of difference between origin and grades of granite. Some of it, quite 'hot' compared to those levels allowed at nuclear plants. (My oldest daughter is an operator at a 3500MW generating station and she has shared some of knowledge her about 'safe' levels of different radiations.)

But.... if you have a choice between NO emissions or 'some' emissions from a countertop, it is my duty to inform the client. The same way as I do when I strongly suggest the use of an acrylic based product over a polyester based countertop.

At the same time, I don't think that the owners of granite are going to give birth to three-headed lizards.

r

It was very interesting to say the least. Good information and I learned something this morning. It was particularly interesting since I have the granite out in my garage all set to go into the kitchen in the next couple of weeks. Luckily, I am way too old to be birthin' any more little lizards ;¬D