A recent report carried out by the New York Times suggests that granite countertops from people’s homes pose health risks, emitting a gas than can cause cancer. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s explains posted on its Website, the gas is radon, a naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is colorless, tasteless and has no odor. The presence of radon in people’s homes may actually jeopardize their health. Formed from the decay of the extremely radioactive radium, radon affects indoor air quality, contaminating humans by accumulating in constructions, the EPA informs.

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the second most frequent cause of the same type of cancer after cigarette smoking. An estimated 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year are reported in the U.S. alone.
The level of radon in the air is measured in "picoCuries per liter of air," or "pCi/L." In line with the Environmental Protection Agency, 4 pCi/L is the amount of radon exposure that puts people at risk, forcing them to take safety measures. 4 picocuries is "about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day," said The New York Times. Nonetheless, not only the amounts that are above the levels considered safe endanger the individuals, but also the amounts lower than that.

Furthermore, the newspaper informs that: “Allegations that granite countertops may emit dangerous levels of radon and radiation have been raised periodically over the past decade, mostly by makers and distributors of competing countertop materials.” According to the Marble Institute of America, such assertions are absolutely preposterous. The institute justifies that even though granite contains uranium and other radioactive chemical elements like thorium and potassium, the levels in countertops are “not enough to pose a health threat.”

As a matter of fact, health officials and radiation specialists concur that most countertops made out of natural granite give off radon at very low levels. These emissions are of no consequence compared with alleged background radiation that is frequently raining down from cosmos, seeping up from the earth's outer layer, or with radiation given off from manmade sources such as X-rays and smoke detectors.

Over the last ten years, the demand for granite countertops has significantly increased. Consequently, the EPA started receiving phone calls from health inspectors, as well as from property-owners who expressed concern about the granite countertops from their homes.

On the topic of potential health risk granite countertops pose, it appears that their color carries some weight. "We're seeing higher results in reds, pinks, purples. However, you've got to test them all," said Stanley Liebert, quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, during The Early Show on Friday.

In order to limit the exposure to the dangerous gas, homeowners are recommended to use systems that "bring fresh air in and exchange it with the air in the kitchen," assuring a good ventilation in their homes. In addition to this, their granite countertops should be tested for radon. Reasonably priced test kits can be purchased from hardware stores or qualified testers can be hired to perform the testing.

Update: The EPA issued its new statements late Friday, following media reports citing junk science and inconsistent testing results that created public concern about granite countertops as a source of radon gas.

"While natural minerals such as granite may occasionally emit radon gas, the levels of radon attributable to such sources are not typically high," the EPA statement said. "EPA believes the principal source of radon in homes is soil gas that is drawn indoors through a natural suction process.

The EPA also issued a new statement on the presence of radiation in granite, which said: "Construction materials such as concrete, cinder blocks, bricks, and granite contain small amounts of radioactive materials that are found naturally in the materials used to make them."