EWG INVESTIGATION

Findings

About The Data

News Release

EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

Related News Clips

WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?

Find Your Water Company

NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

Find a Contaminant

Credits

Sign up to receive email updates from EWG

Status: Unregulated - EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

Tritium is a pollutant from commercial nuclear reactors and research reactors, and government weapons production plants . Potential health impacts associated with Tritium include cancer.

Sources of Tritium:

Industry

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Tritium tests reported by 1,922 public water suppliers in 14 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 32.2 million people in 80 communities drank water contaminated with Tritium. No health-based limit has been established by the federal government.Tritium remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

32,230,006 People drinking water contaminated with Tritium 80 Communities served water contaminated with Tritium

Table. Tritium Exposure by State

32.2 million Americans in 9 states were served tap water contaminated with Tritium between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Tritium contamination
	Systems	Population
California	60	26,432,568
Pennsylvania	6	2,365,772
Indiana	4	1,393,529
Ohio	1	800,000
Tennessee	3	779,220
Nevada	3	241,288
Florida	1	174,489
Massachusetts	1	38,000
Illinois	1	5,140
Total	80	32,230,006

Table. The most polluted communities

32.2 million Americans in 80 communities were served tap water contaminated with Tritium between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Tritium level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Usmc Nebo (barstow) Barstow, CA	2,500	2 of 2	1310.5 pCi/L (989 to 1632 pCi/L)
2	Erie City Water Authority Erie, PA	180,000	1 of 1	1000 pCi/L (1000 to 1000 pCi/L)
3	Suisun City Water Vacaville, CA	26,280	8 of 8	895.5 pCi/L (211 to 2286 pCi/L)
4	Suburban Water Systems - San Jose Covina, CA	132,940	1 of 1	886 pCi/L (886 to 886 pCi/L)
5	Santa Clara Valley Water District San Jose, CA	0	1 of 1	836 pCi/L (836 to 836 pCi/L)
6	Diablo Water District Oakley, CA	22,000	1 of 1	798 pCi/L (798 to 798 pCi/L)
7	Truckee - Donner Pud, Main Truckee, CA	14,200	1 of 1	768 pCi/L (768 to 768 pCi/L)
8	York Water Company York, PA	153,123	1 of 2	685 pCi/L (0 to 1370 pCi/L)
9	City of Sacramento Sacramento, CA	436,245	2 of 2	606 pCi/L (1 to 1211 pCi/L)
10	City of Benicia Water Benicia, CA	28,000	9 of 14	550.36 pCi/L (0 to 2286 pCi/L)

  Next -->

Testing Summary for Tritium

Water suppliers report an average of 0.2 Tritium tests per year. 37,829 water suppliers failed to report any Tritium tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Tritium by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Tritium (1998-2003): 1,922 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.2 per year

Tritium Violations

Because Tritium is unregulated in tap water, no violations are recorded in EPA's violations database, the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Under the federal tap water law, water suppliers are not required to routinely test for Tritium, and any level is legal in tap water.