Are There Any Health Risks Linked to My Quartz Countertop?

If you are already tired of your kitchen countertop crumbling away or showing stains all the time, then it’s high time for you to renovate your kitchen and replace your old countertop with a high quality quartz countertop. Unlike any other natural stone, quartz slabs are likely to combine manmade ingenuity and al the benefits provided by natural stones thus resulting into a really beautiful and built to last countertop.

Zodiaq Quartz Countertop by DuPont

Also, quartz countertops tend to be a cleaner work surface than the countertops made from other materials. A quartz countertop is likely to provide your kitchen with extra functionality and elegance but it may also come with some hidden dangers we will try to discuss here. First, there were many questions regarding the possible quartz radiation. But, as of May this year, EPA has managed to determine that the whole amount of radon emissions that are to be encountered in the case of granite or quartz countertops is rarely dangerous. Exposure to radon must be minimized mainly because a higher amount of exposure is likely to increase the risks of developing cancer. But, because of the special processing of the natural stones, most of the quality quartz countertops are already sealed thus drastically reducing or even eliminating the possible emissions.

Quartz countertop coating is another matter that made homeowners wonder about the health risks involved by using such a countertop. For instance, the special coating that is used for quartz countertops include a quality antimicrobial additive – this additive is already trademarked under its own name namely Microban. Initially, people believed that this additive come from a pesticide but actually, Microban is made from a substance that is used to disinfect hospitals namely Triclosan. This way all the possible angers related to using a quartz countertop in your kitchen are easily refuted.

For instance, the special antimicrobial coating is used just by one brand while being popular in other industries where few complaints occur. As regarding the possible radon radiation levels, these levels are well within the current EPA guidelines. Also, tests are performed in order to ensure safety. For instance, people are more likely to expose themselves to the radon coming from the soil around their basement. This means that your quartz countertop is to be regarded as an unlikely health risk.