Beacon Hill Blog

As concerns grow about radon exposure and dust from granite countertop installation, it is important to focus on the need for environmental coverage for this class of contractors.

In the last few years, granite has become a fashionable and trendy building material due to its natural beauty, shine, durability, and scratch/heat resistance. Granite is an igneous stone, mainly formed through volcanic material such as magma. It is primarily made of quartz, feldspar, and potassium, and is an extremely hard material that is easier to maintain than marble. Installing granite countertops in homes and offices has created a huge amount of business for granite countertop contractors—the service and installation has become a very lucrative component of the building and remodeling industry. With the prevalence of granite in homes and offices today, there has been some recent concern over the pollution exposures for people working with, and living around, this popular stone.

Measuring and cutting granite takes a great deal of precision and is almost always outsourced to contractors specializing in granite countertop installation. These professionals will take very exact measurements for the countertops and create a template, which is used to cut the stone. As you may imagine, the dust associated with cutting granite is composed of very fine particles that can be extremely hazardous if inhaled into the lungs. When exposed to even low levels of granite dust over a long period of time, there is a potential for different types of serious respiratory illnesses.  In addition to countertop contractors having this exposure, many companies will let customers come to their facilities to choose their own slabs of granite for their countertops. Inviting people onto the facility presents an additional pollution liability risk for these companies, since there is usually a large amount of dust on the company premises.

Another exposure concern with granite is the potential for it to emit radon gas into the air. “Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in soils, rock, and water. It is the largest source of exposure to naturally occurring radiation…The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded after an exhaustive review that radon in indoor air is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after cigarette smoking,” as explained on the Environmental Protection Agency website. Although allegations that granite countertops may emit toxic levels of radon are still in question, many government officials suggest that homes and offices test the granite for this exposure.

Contractors providing granite products and installation need to be aware of these risks and take the necessary precautions in order to prevent these health hazards and be protected from environmental insurance claims. A pollution policy would help to reduce the potential for an out-of-pocket claim, and would work to further secure the future success and welfare of companies specializing in granite and their employees.