Dear Colleagues:

It has been a very long week.
 
We have been fighting the fallout from the New York Times article.  And, the U.S. EPA has modified some of the statements it made last week in support of granite countertops.  While it is true that coverage and blog postings have slowed somewhat, we have been extremely busy identifying and developing spokespersons and material needed to defend our industry from this unnecessary panic.  Unfortunately, we do not expect the attacks on granite to end soon.  Opponents have learned that partial truths, portrayed out of context often gain media attention.  What continues to frustrate us most, however, is that the efforts by opponents of granite seem less aimed at truly protecting the public than simply destroying our industry and the jobs we support.

Given that much of the material we share with members has found its way to public websites, we are being cautious in disseminating details of our plan of action.  However, I want to clearly state that the Marble Institute of America is making very serious, comprehensive efforts to protect the granite industry - as well as its consumers.  

We fear it is no coincidence that Cambria and Silestone both issued advertisements and announcements in the last week that their products are certified to be radon-free just as the public furor over this issue boiled over.  And we are saddened that anyone would attempt to prey on public fears - particularly those generated through the dissemination of misleading information - to benefit financially from the consumer panic.

To correct the record and allay groundless fears, during the past week we have:

• Identified several scientists who are experts in indoor environmental assessments, associated with some of the nation's finest academic institutions and prepared to provide the context, scientific grounding and clarity to eliminate confusion generated by our attackers. 
• Developed scientific analyses that put the situation in perspective and demonstrate how outrageous some of the media coverage has been.  The analyses make clear that some of what has passed for “scienceâ€� in media reports has, in fact, been incredibly out of line and unreliable.
• Prepared material we hope you can use in explaining the facts to your customers.  This material, which is attached, includes some basic messaging and some FAQ’s that put the situation in context for your customers.
• Launched an effort to create videos that we hope to provide to you in the next two weeks, which help to dispel fears and inject some much-needed common sense and science into what has unfortunately been fear mongering. 
• Contacted several other industry associations, which have uniformly expressed support for the efforts we are undertaking. 
• Begun developing a full-blown campaign aimed at moving us past our defense of the industry, into proactive action. 
• Finalized many of the details to establish recognized scientific standards for testing granite - and won at least preliminary support from the EPA to engage in the process, to ensure the standards meet federal government approval. 
• Updated many of our colleagues around the world about our activities, and gained strong support from the international stone community. 

I know that many of you are dealing with customer concerns.  I hope the materials we provide will be useful.  However, I suspect you may need additional sources of information - including some independent sources.

To that end, I would like to recommend that, if you wish to refer customers to an independent web site that provides a rational discussion of the radon realities, you refer them to http://www.radon.com/radon/granite.html.  You will find a special page posted just last week by Air Chek, Inc., one of America's largest providers of radon test kits.  I think you will find the page to be both useful and calming to your customers.  We spoke to the company this week and learned that its inquiries have risen significantly in the past week.  However, despite the fact that Air Chek benefits financially from radon testing, the company's executives are distressed that so many people are driven by needless fears.  That is clearly reflected on the page linked above.

As you know, the MIA does not have the resources in place to undertake this kind of aggressive defense of the industry.  We need your financial support.  I hope you will help us protect our industry's good name by writing a check to the Marble Institute of America/Truth About Granite Fund.  You can send those checks to Marble Institute of America; 28901 Clemens Road; Suite 100; Cleveland, OH USA 44145.  Over 100 companies from around the world have already contributed, and that support is very much appreciated.

Please understand that this is a fight for our business lives.  Attackers clearly seek more than to simply increase their own sales; they are trying to cripple this industry.

We will continue to notify you of our progress in the weeks to come.

Sincerely,

Jim Hogan, MIA 2008 President
Carrara Marble Company of America