PORTLAND -- Many consumers may have heard rumblings and rumors that granite countertops may be radioactive, but is any of it true?

As the sun shined through her kitchen windows, Sarah Bang looked at her granite countertop and smiled.

KGW-TV

A granite countertop

“When the light hits it right you can get all these beautiful reflections,” she says.

Like so many these days, Sarah traded in the old laminate countertop for a granite one.

“We looked at other things but the granite was just so beautiful we decided to take the plunge,” she said.

And while granite is beautiful, some will wonder if it’s safe. 

Recently published reports suggest granite countertops could be radioactive.  Doctors will tell you exposure to radioactivity can lead to cancer. 

But how real is this threat? 

Terry Lindsey, a radiation specialist with the Oregon Department of Human Services, visited Intrepid Stone and Marble in southeast Portland to put several granite slabs to the test.

Lindsey measured slab after slab using a special radioactivity reading device.

Because granite is a natural stone and does contain low levels of uranium, Lindsey did find slightly higher than background levels on some of the slabs. 

“Two or three times background if we run those numbers out it comes out to less that 15 millirem a year,” Lindsey said. “We allow members of the public to receive up to a hundred millrem per year just as part of a regulatory body.”

A millirem is a measurement of radiation.

Fifteen millirem per year is a level well below accepted levels, according to Lindsey. Radiation workers like X-ray techs are allowed to receive up to 5,000 millirem per year -- and those are perfectly safe numbers. 

In fact, according to Lindsey, consumers are exposed to more radiation flying cross country than from any natural granite.

“If the particular seam has hundreds of times of background then I would be concerned in terms of this ... two to three times background I would not be concerned,” he said. 

Lindsey then measured radiation levels on fiesta-ware and got a reading 5 times the background level. But, he explained that is still just about the same level as a natural rock, which means the plate is still very safe to eat off of.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its position on granite countertops saying, “Based on existing studies, most types of granite used in countertops are not typically known to be major contributors of radiation and radon in the average home."

Still concerned about your granite? Call a health physicist to come in and take radiation measurements. 

One thing is for certain -- it will be a whole lot cheaper than getting new countertops.