Granite is a source of natural radiation. Most natural stones are. But some granite types have higher amounts of radioactivity than other stones so it is not clear how safe they are. Some types contain uranium. When this decays it produces radon, which is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US aside from cigarettes. Some people, such as Dan Steck, of St. John’s University, worry that granite materials sold for countertops or building material may be hazardous to people’s health. These countertops are frequently used in kitchens. Most of the stones used today come from a quarry where getting the rock nearly destroyed a beautiful island. It is not used as a quarry anymore. It is not a protected wildlife reserves.
Granite has a long history. The granite stone was used in a lot of the Egyptian pyramids and sarcophagi. They also used them in columns, walls, and floors. A lot of Hindu temples in Southern India also used this stone. The king Rajaraja Chola 1 used a lot of granite in his temple. Mormons have a lot of granite quarries. America’s first railway is the “Granite Railway.” It hauled granite from Massachusetts to the Neponset River back in the eighteen twenties. Because granite is more durable, it has become more popular than marble despite the health risks that could potentially harm people. For kitchen countertops, people like to polish it. The most unusual use of granite was in the rails of a train in England.
Granite is a popular choice for gravestones and memorials. It has to be carved by hand skillfully. Nowadays, people would rather use computers to do it. But any kind of art work or epitaph can be blasted into granite using computer methods.
Granite is good for recreation. People like to climb granite rocks, which are steep, sound, and have cracks and offer friction. These are found all over the world. People like to climb granite so much, a lot of climbing walls that are made of artificial rocks, like the ones you find in gyms and theme parks, look and feel like granite itself.
Granite is found all over the world and is used for everything from recreation to burial to kitchen counters. There are many retailers that offer granite slabs for these purposes. Despite the potential risks, it has been determined that it falls within guidelines to be used commercially, and so is widely available on the retail market.
