On April 18, 2015, the Yangzi Evening News published the whole page entitled "Is the suspect of lung cancer between husband and wife half a year apart a large piece of natural marble at home?" Report of. It was mentioned in the article that both the elderly did not smoke, had a healthy diet and continued to exercise, but they were diagnosed with advanced lung cancer within six months. When Song Yong, the chief physician of the Respiratory Department of Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region, helped trace the cause, he found that the old man's house was decorated luxuriously and used a very large natural marble. The doctor suspected that the problem was in this marble [2].
How did marble hook up with lung cancer? The problem is a radioactive inert gas called radon. Radon is the only natural radioactive inert gas produced by the decay of radium, thorium and other radioactive elements in nature. The gas is colorless and tasteless. Radon can be found in rocks, soil and water. At present, radon is recognized as the second leading cause of lung cancer besides tobacco. According to Xinmin.com, radon radiation to human body accounts for about 55% of the total amount of radiation received by human beings in their lifetime. The World Health Organization lists radon as one of the 19 major environmental carcinogens. The relative risk of lung cancer is linearly related to radon exposure. Statistics show that about 50000 people die of lung cancer caused by radon every year in China [2].
In this way, it seems reasonable that radon radiation in marble can cause cancer. So, how much radon does marble contain? Is it really enough to cause cancer? Is there any cancer risk when marble is used in home decoration [2]?
The Yangtze Evening News later interviewed Zhu Xixu, the chief physician of the Radiotherapy Department of Nanjing General Hospital of the Nanjing Military Region. Experts said that residents should not worry too much about the marble decoration in their homes. The presence of marble does not necessarily mean that excessive radon will be released. In general, the probability of indoor radon exceeding the standard is very small. In fact, as early as 2013, the Chinese Stone Association, the National Stone Quality Supervision and Inspection Center and the National Stone Standardization Technical Committee jointly issued the Notice on No Radioactive Hazards of Marble Products to Human Beings, which explained that marble is mainly composed of carbonate minerals, and its formation process is not directly related to radioactive substances, so it has no radioactive hazards to human beings. As for the radiation amount of radioactive substances in marble, Zou Chuansheng, president of the China Stone Association, said at the launch of the White Paper on Chinese Natural Marbles held in Xiamen in 2014 that everything in nature may be radioactive, but we must distinguish whether this radioactivity is harmful to human health. The sponsor of the conference made it clear that various stone products made of natural marble would not cause any radioactive hazard to human body. In 2013, Nanfang Daily also reported that the National Stone Quality Supervision and Inspection Center has conducted radioactive inspection on more than 100 kinds of domestic and imported marble samples commonly used in the market in the past 10 years, and the results show that the average specific activity of radionuclides of all marble samples tested is 0.02, which is only one fifth of the Class A index (unlimited production, marketing and use scope) in the national standard "Radionuclide Limits for Building Materials", It can be completely ignored [2].
It can be seen that the claim that marble radiation causes cancer is indeed exaggerated. Compared with the international radioactive indicators, the indicators in China are relatively strict, but in recent years, the relevant departments have canceled the radioactive detection of marble, which fully demonstrates the safety of domestic marble products. Therefore, consumers can buy marble products with confidence in the process of home decoration. However, when purchasing stone decorative materials, consumers are advised to remember to check the "CMA Radioactive Analysis Test Certificate" certified by the State Bureau of Technical Supervision and the scope of application of the products, and purchase products from formal manufacturers
