Homeowners have preferred to use granite for the decoration of their house. They have preferred granite for flooring, bathroom vanities and also for kitchen countertops. Though granite is preferred by people for home building materials but many homeowners avoid granite as it is rumored that granite facilitates radon gas emission. Granite as a natural stone emits radon but the level of radon gas that it emits is quite low. Thus, it can be safely used for home applications.

Environmental Protection Agency has declared radon as a radioactive gas that can cause cancer. Radon is a tasteless and odorless gas. It can pose huge threats to the health of your family if present in the house. To avoid the health risks for radon gas, a person should check the air of his house. If a person has granite substances in the house then he should check for the radon level of the house. Generally, the radon gas emitted by the building materials like granite does not cross the dangerous level and hence using granite countertops does not pose any health risk. In case, the radon level is high, then one should take immediate steps.

Granite countertops or any other building material made up of granite can be considered to be safe products which can be easily used at home. Studies by experts have clearly revealed that they do not pose any health risks for the men living in the house. The radon level that is emitted by granite materials in the house also does not have any threat to the health of the animals. This is because though radon gas is a dangerous gas that might cause deadly malaise like cancer, yet the granite surfaces in home do not emit radon in sufficient quantities to cause cancer. Therefore it is definitely a great idea to use granite in home as the fears that granite countertops emit radon gas is baseless.

This being said it is important to mention that in many cases radon gas is present in the house; however for sure the culprit for this emission is not your granite countertop. Soil that is in contact with the floors and walls of the basement is the main cause for radon emission by granite surfaces. To check the radon level of the house, one should get the air of his house tested. He can also check the soil of the house that is in touch with the basement area. In most cases the maximum amount of radon that is found in the house is emitted from the damp soils in the basement.

However as a homeowner if you are still skeptical about granite surfaces and apprehend that they might emit radon, you can take necessary precautions. A homeowner who has granite surfaces in his house can either call a professional or can purchase self test kits to check radon gas level of his house. The kits to test radon are available in some stores that sell home improvement products. Granite can be used in any part of the house. If taken proper care the elegance of granite would retain for years.

Tags: Applications, granite, Healthy, Home, material