What?   Formica is not in anymore? 
Next thing they are going to tell me that my orange and green shag rug is out of date. 
Geeze.
Iceberg lettuce with Thousand Island anyone?

...jump'n jeezlies...!!! I didn't know this!! One of my friends just went out last weekend and ordered granite countertops!!!

This site never ceases to amaze me with all this information that comes in daily !!

I am passing this one on....

SMB, (formerly 'samsara')

Most 'granite' counter-tops are not actually granite, but some other stone.

How come the good Doctor says NO level of radiation is safe, when he's also published articles saying there's plenty of evidence that low level radiation actually improves health & lifespan? Just curious :)

Small levels of almost any kind of irritant are easy for the body to handle. That's what an immune system is for. I guess the trick is defining the word small in each case ...

 Ed

Then what kind of countertops, pray tell, are safe???

The most important contribution that Mercola makes is that he causes you to QUESTION the subject and better yet, do your own research. I, for one, thought he would cite marble's porous nature (unsanitary).  I would choose quartz any day over marble, I don't care WHAT the trend is!    

I couldnt agree more with Islander - this day and age is bringing so many 'sponsered' situations, that it is becoming hard to believe anyone anymore.  Consider this article, it is biased, not researched well and doesn't serve any purpose at all.  Besides being misleading, it really goes nowhere.  He is going back and forth throughout the article.

I'm remodeling my kitchen and decided to forgo the granite for a completely different reason - but the reason is still a major health risk - mold.  It may or may not be true, but a friend's brother (he wasn't trying to sell me anything) installs cabinets for a living and he said that nearly every granite countertop that he removes has mold growing underneath it.  The granite is still very porous and needs to be sealed on a regular basis to prevent the moisture from soaking through.  Most people don't keep up with the sealing like they should (I personally wouldn't want to apply some strong toxic chemical to my food prep area on a regular basis).  It's possible that this isn't a problem is other regions but I live in hot and humid Oklahoma and mold is already quite happy here.  I haven't figured out what I'm doing for counters yet, so if anyone has ideas, please let me know.  I'm trying to research all the "green" products but some are so new, there's not enough info out there.  Cheers, Rachael

we had soapstone counters installed in our kitchen. Natural, non-staining, non-porous (unlike granite), only needs occasional application of mineral oil or you can leave it plain to get a natural patina.  It is used in chemistry labs.  It looks like black marble with white veins in it and has a matte finish, not the superpolished look of granite.  

I don't believe that radon poses a threat to any one. The entire earths atmosphere contains only 5 pounds of radon. The atmosphere weighs in at 5,500 Trillion tons, making radon the rarest gas.

A pCi/l is equivalent to two atoms disintegrating per minute per liter.

The radon scare is just another industry generated piece of propaganda.

You will not sell much radon detecting equipment when radon poses no threat to man.

The list of industry created myths is pretty long.  

This article and Dr. Mercola's comments seem to buy into the "linear, non-threshold" theory of radiation danger, which assumes that if a lot of radiation is dangerous, there is no level of radiation that is safe.  There is however a considerable body of research about "Radiation Hormesis", which has proven that low amounts of radiation actually contribute to our health by stimulating the immune system.  Just exactly how much radiation has a positive effect on health has not yet been difinitively determined.  It may be a good idea to test granite countertops.  However, we should not be too concerned with relatively low amounts of radiation exposure.

I am heartily tired of these fear-mongering headlines. Granite countertops could be emitting radiation...could be hazardous to your health...could be polluting your kitchen... there are a lot of realistic alternatives to the sensational "could be killing you." Let's adopt that Greek ideal of moderation in all things - including headlines.

Does the marble institute profit from the sale of granite counters? I am guessing they might? Why I ask is I recently heard the same reassurances about pesticides from a pesticide company ... so let's look at what they are saying...

If I am reading it correctly, they say above 'MANY do not emit', which reads in between that SOME certainly do, which is what the New York Times above said..  and 'those treated with sealant REDUCE emissions even further' which means that they still emit some.  Can the sealant be cut, broken or wear off, releasing it again?

So, if SOME do emit, it looks like it boils down to if it is worth the risk for something pretty?  Just like the perfect lawn maintained by herbicides/pesticides which is really a toxic dump. There are likely many other countertop options out there that look just as great with no risk attached...time to do some research :)

Thank you Mercola for passing this along! We even looked at granite ourselves but we won't now, just in case. You just assume if something is natural that it is safe from the earth, but as we know, there are still lots of things from the earth that are not safe to be exposed to (uranium etc).

Without people with bullocks like Mercola looking out for us, I think we'd all be goners by now.

The Marble Institute of America wants to reassure the public that granite countertops are safe.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Reports and repeated independent studies have shown granite countertops pose no health hazard.

- EPA stated Friday: “EPA has no reliable data to conclude that types of granite used in countertops are significantly increasing indoor radon levels.” (http://iaq.custhelp.com/cgibin/iaq.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php)
- University of Akron researchers found no threat. (www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/radontesting_u-akron2008.pdf)

An independent scientific analysis of a variety of studies shows that, accounting for normal airflow in the typical home, radon contributed by granite countertops ranges from 0.01 – 0.02 pCi/L – levels that are 200 to 400 times lower than the EPA guideline of 4 pCi/L.
- By some measures, the amount of radon emitted by a granite countertop is less than one millionth of that already present in household air from other sources. Many granite countertops do not emit radon at all, and those treated with sealant reduce emissions even further.

Silvia Osante
Cohn & Wolfe on behalf of The Marble Institute of America

Radiation accumulates in your tissues. Just because it is "natural" or "background" does not mean it is good for you or safe. And safe compared to what?. Our bodies are much more vunerable these days and what didn't bother people 100 years ago bothers us now. Also the background level of this radon in the air is always increasing because we keep digging it up and it is an out gassing from our tons and tons of nuclear waste. Background radiation in a gas form varies dramatically by the wind and your body can more easily adapt, whereas in a building like your house it will accumulate at higher concentrations and is part of the sick building syndrome. This buildup of radon weakens the immune system by wearing it out due to steady exposure, unlike outdoors. Your best surface for low toxicity and functional beauty is still porcelian tile. Use the 12x12 or 16x16 size to give the elegant counter look instead ot the 1x1 bathroom floor chicklet look and I think you will be quite suprized by the beauty. It is tougher to cut, but that shows its durability. Over all this is the best bet. And no I don't sell the stuff.

If you want to fear radiation, fear what is generated on a continual basis from any source and especially the government projects like Harrp, medical devices. If it is generated by man if is many times more destructive than in nature. Yellow cake Uranium is nothing compared to the Plutonium we make for bombs. It has no measurable amount, no matter how small, that is not deadly. It breaks down in a relatively short period of time into another form of uranium and then again to plutonium. It's half life is over 8 million years. Nuclear power plants are as stupid as you can get for many reasons, however, the dumping of the depleted uranium is a major health hazard we must track and avoid. See the film "none dare call it treason" and get educated.

Check your basements for radon gas, and concrete slab type buildings.  Radon comes from the depletion of uranium and this could be anywhere.  Especially if you live in the western United States.  This survey should be done before buying, or building a house, or anything that people or animals will frequent.

As expensive as granite is recycled glass broken beer bottles counter slab that you can see through the clear glass the little pieces of Corona, etc. It really is a beautiful counter and it is a recycled "green' product:!

Everything in the world is natural.....   That's the misleading nature of the word.    But, is it safe...?    Is it good for you...?

There is no way I would believe anything the EPA has to say about anything as long as they are part and parcel of the bush administration. They'll say anything because they get money from manufacturers etc to say what they want them to say. Their reputation, like many government agencies is shot. How much did The Marble Institute of America pay the EPA to spout their talking points? Until there is change in Washington and people are hired for their experience in the field instead of who they are friends with or how much they gave to bushs' campaign we will continue to be underserved by the EPA, FDA and most sadly FEMA. As to the meat of this article I can think for myself and I know that formica is probably the safest way to go. On the other hand I never do any cutting on my countertops. I repurpose paper grocery bags and lay my flexible plastic cutting sheet on the paper. No muss, no fuss!

Stay out of the kitchen!!!, Eat OUT