Local granite fabricators say they are not too concerned about a new study that indicates they may be inhaling dangerous dust during stone cutting.



They say industry-standard cutting technology and safety precautions are enough to protect them, and that the report is a familiar scare tactic to sway potential granite consumers away from buying their product.



The study, "Implications of Granite Counter Top Construction and Uses," was presented at the Health Physics Society's annual meeting July 13 in Minneapolis, and is the first study to examine how granite byproducts might harm workers. The research concludes that the fabrication shop workers may be exposed to radiation levels that exceed federal safety levels as they cut. The report partially credits safety violations for the exposure.



The danger does not extend to homeowners with granite countertops, because the exposure occurs when the stone is cut.



Jim Martinez, a spokesman for the Marble Institute of America, a stone industry trade group, said wet-cutting techniques are standard for most stonecutters. The process uses a liquid, usually water, to cool the cutting blade and significantly reduces the amount of dust produced. Also, stonecutters are required to wear safety gear, including goggles and masks, and shops have dust removal systems.



Martinez recognizes that dust is a problem, but said that it's one that is continuously being addressed.



"The real issue is dust, and it's an issue that the industry and the government have recognized for decades," he said. "Everybody wanted to make it a cleaner environment."



Authorities from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration certainly do. Nationally, there are an estimated 64,000 stone cutting facilities; from October 2007 to 2008, OSHA inspected 133 of them, and issued 185 citations for respiratory violations and 54 citations for air contaminants. From 2004 to 2009, there were no similar violations or citations for Naples-area shops.



Then there is the radiation question. Granite naturally contains uranium, which has led to concerns about whether it is hazardous for homeowners. The question of dangerous radon gas emission was a popular one as recently as last summer.



The new stone-cutting study suggests that full-time granite cutters could be exposed to radiation levels of up to 320 rem per year. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's radiation exposure limit is 0.1 rem per year for members of the general public.



Martinez countered, saying other research has not shown a cause for concern. Later this year, two peer-reviewed studies one on radon gas, the other on radiation will be published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. Those will indicate there is nothing for homeowners to fear from their countertops.



"There's nothing to hide here," Martinez said.



Joe Salvia, part-owner of Salvia Tile & Stone, Inc. in Naples, said his shop uses wet, not dry, cutting in its fabrication shop. He said wet cutting is "absolutely" the industry standard, and the only time his workers incur dust is when they use a hand grinder. That's typically done when they cut out the area for a sink.



The costs associated with wet cutting vary, Salvia said, but his shop's wet saw cost $110,000. The edge machine, which also runs wet, cost $90,000. Additionally, the shop contains $20,000 worth of filtration. The workers also wear safety gear, he said, such as masks, heavy work boots and goggles. A granite shop must be safe to be successful, he explained: "You can't afford mistakes." "You have to be on your toes at all times," he said.



Salvia dismisses the study's claim of hidden dust dangers.



"In all the years that I've been doing it, I've never run across anybody in the field that have had bad reactions," he said.



He said many of the granite concerns suddenly seemed to surface about five or six years ago, and believes there is a link between the fears and the popularity of engineered stones.



Marc Beaudet, owner and president of Old World Marble and Granite in Naples, called that link "an ongoing battle" between producers of engineered stone and natural stone.



"I really do think that there's an opposition to the stone industry, and I think their real alternative motives are to scare people from purchasing stone products," Beaudet said.



Like Salvia, Beaudet doubts he and his workers are at danger when they cut. His workers wear protective gear and the shop uses the industry-standard wet-cutting process. The only people who are exposed to dust are those who must cut by hand, and they wear the required masks, he said.



If safety procedures are followed, he does not believe there's a dusty danger.



"In all my years, in all my cutting, I've heard a lot of things said," Beaudet said.



But this dust dust-up?



"It's hard for me to buy," Beaudet said.