Uranium
Status: National drinking water standard exists
Uranium is a known human carcinogen. The federal legal limit for uranium is set at 30 micrograms per liter (corresponding to parts per billion), but utilities can also report uranium in picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is a measure of radioactivity in water. EWG translated all uranium results to pCi/L using a conversion factor developed by the EPA. With this conversion approach, the limit of 30 ppb corresponds to 20 pCi/L. Drinking water with this much uranium would cause more than 4.6 cancer cases in a population of 100,000. California set a public health goal for uranium of 0.43 pCi/L. Read More.
Multiple forms of uranium can be detected in water, including uranium-234, uranium-235 and uranium-238. Uranium-234 is the most toxic form of uranium for human health.
2010-2015:
45
states detected
7,708
utilities detected
78 million
people served
43
states over health guideline
6,449
utilities over health guideline
58 million
people served over health guideline
25
states over legal limit
148
utilities over legal limit
155,000
people served over legal limit
Health concerns for uranium
Cancer
Harm to the kidney
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
Health Guideline 0.43 pCi/L
The health guideline of 0.43 pCi/L for uranium was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. Three most common uranium isotopes are U-234, U-235 and U-238. All isotopes of uranium are radioactive, and the total radioactivity depends on the ratio of isotopes. This health guideline protects against cancer.
pCi/L = picocuries per liter.
EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL) 20 pCi/L
The enforceable federal standard that defines the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water.
pCi/L = picocuries per liter.
States reporting uranium in drinking water
| UTILITIES REPORTING ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES | UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Utilities | People Served | Utilities | People Served | |||
| California | 873 | 28,086,033 | 925 | 30,159,336 | |||
| Florida | 115 | 2,008,162 | 254 | 7,781,532 | |||
| Texas | 855 | 6,930,630 | 907 | 7,257,788 | |||
| Arizona | 158 | 5,002,501 | 162 | 5,042,841 | |||
| Colorado | 367 | 1,704,234 | 463 | 4,017,992 | |||
| New York | 254 | 343,046 | 370 | 2,792,635 | |||
| Nevada | 154 | 2,563,779 | 158 | 2,569,478 | |||
| Indiana | 121 | 1,569,719 | 186 | 2,011,788 | |||
| Pennsylvania | 297 | 1,569,236 | 390 | 1,921,416 | |||
| New Mexico | 466 | 1,713,144 | 482 | 1,744,348 | |||
| Kentucky | 24 | 73,532 | 85 | 1,688,354 | |||
| Louisiana | 31 | 399,489 | 93 | 1,621,120 | |||
| Utah | 52 | 1,438,067 | 58 | 1,452,764 | |||
| Wisconsin | 24 | 284,137 | 60 | 1,315,960 | |||
| Idaho | 281 | 942,018 | 316 | 1,002,176 | |||
| Oklahoma | 301 | 803,449 | 331 | 851,061 | |||
| Illinois | 10 | 217,770 | 39 | 360,045 | |||
| Montana | 315 | 335,392 | 327 | 351,838 | |||
| North Dakota | 128 | 101,309 | 166 | 349,005 | |||
| Oregon | 66 | 69,531 | 76 | 332,034 | |||
| Wyoming | 112 | 289,940 | 127 | 316,870 | |||
| Nebraska | 110 | 263,277 | 116 | 273,428 | |||
| Missouri | 35 | 220,028 | 49 | 255,155 | |||
| Connecticut | 212 | 83,620 | 239 | 247,127 | |||
| New Hampshire | 284 | 114,612 | 362 | 243,342 | |||
| Virginia | 24 | 17,452 | 46 | 226,079 | |||
| North Carolina | 324 | 145,060 | 367 | 205,876 | |||
| Kansas | 75 | 182,225 | 75 | 182,225 | |||
| South Carolina | 73 | 178,042 | 74 | 178,127 | |||
| Mississippi | 2 | 2,300 | 33 | 160,865 | |||
| Maine | 67 | 48,782 | 82 | 150,160 | |||
| Minnesota | 19 | 147,778 | 21 | 148,604 | |||
| Alaska | 9 | 14,510 | 39 | 66,690 | |||
| Maryland | 7 | 53,406 | 7 | 53,406 | |||
| Massachusetts | 27 | 37,507 | 29 | 43,798 | |||
| Georgia | 54 | 43,720 | 54 | 43,720 | |||
| Iowa | 28 | 42,670 | 28 | 42,670 | |||
| Vermont | 50 | 28,581 | 57 | 31,336 | |||
| South Dakota | 24 | 19,777 | 25 | 19,832 | |||
| Michigan | 5 | 5,844 | 8 | 9,669 | |||
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7,818 | |||
| Washington | 7 | 3,082 | 9 | 4,095 | |||
| Hawaii | 1 | 1,760 | 1 | 1,760 | |||
| Ohio | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1,666 | |||
| Rhode Island | 8 | 941 | 8 | 941 | |||
Utilities with the highest amounts of uranium, 2010-2015
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Valley Trailer Park | Newport Beach, CA | 1 of 1 | 59.00 pCi/L | 200 |
| Alto* | Alto, GA | 8 of 8 | 55.15 pCi/L | 2,500 |
| Riviera Water Supply | Riviera, TX | 16 of 16 | 49.96 pCi/L | 678 |
| Maxeys | Maxeys, GA | 2 of 2 | 48.50 pCi/L | 325 |
| Strawberry Fields Mobile Home Park | Plant City, FL | 4 of 4 | 45.69 pCi/L | 250 |
| Crestmont Farms Subdivision | Athens, GA | 2 of 2 | 45.00 pCi/L | 164 |
| Md#07 Marina View Heights | Madera, CA | 4 of 4 | 44.58 pCi/L | 200 |
| Pike Ranch Mutual Water Company | Oakhurst, CA | 3 of 3 | 43.00 pCi/L | 75 |
| Sierra Cedars Community Services District | Clovis, CA | 1 of 1 | 42.00 pCi/L | 875 |
| Pecan Grove Mobile Home Park | San Antonio, TX | 24 of 24 | 41.56 pCi/L | 108 |
| Glen Acres Water Co-op | Lordsburg, NM | 3 of 3 | 41.54 pCi/L | 185 |
| Shady Oaks Mobile Home Park LLC | Cloivs, CA | 1 of 1 | 41.00 pCi/L | 40 |
| Buttonwillow County Water District | Buttonwillow, CA | 2 of 2 | 40.54 pCi/L | 1,266 |
| Meridian Water Supply | Meridian, OK | 18 of 18 | 40.17 pCi/L | 54 |
| Cody Land Court | North Platte, NE | 2 of 2 | 39.50 pCi/L | 42 |
| Meadow Lakes Subdivision | Crawford, GA | 3 of 3 | 39.33 pCi/L | 81 |
| South Kingstown Nursing and Rehabilitati | West Kingston, RI | 5 of 5 | 38.69 pCi/L | 175 |
| Csa 70-f Morongo | Victorville, CA | 59 of 60 | 37.68 pCi/L | 450 |
| Hillview Water Company-oakhurst/sierra Lakes* | Oakhurst, CA | 149 of 149 | 37.50 pCi/L | 2,805 |
| Benkelman, City of | Benkelman, NE | 15 of 15 | 36.85 pCi/L | 953 |
| Valley Estates Water & Sewer Association | Fairview, NM | 24 of 24 | 36.49 pCi/L | 185 |
| Hillview Water Co-raymond | Oakhurst, CA | 28 of 28 | 35.93 pCi/L | 294 |
| Antelope Peak Domestic Water Improvement District | Chandler, AZ | 40 of 40 | 35.56 pCi/L | 60 |
| Jefferson Landing | Jefferson, NC | 1 of 1 | 35.50 pCi/L | 492 |
| Lyman, Village of | Lyman, NE | 2 of 2 | 34.40 pCi/L | 450 |
| Merino, Town of | Merino, CO | 6 of 6 | 32.94 pCi/L | 235 |
| Rosamond Mobilehome Park | Tustin, CA | 24 of 24 | 32.75 pCi/L | 175 |
| Big Sheep Cliff | Cashiers, NC | 3 of 3 | 32.60 pCi/L | 93 |
| White Plains | White Plains, GA | 10 of 14 | 31.67 pCi/L | 442 |
| Rainbird Valley Mutual Water Company | Weldon, CA | 23 of 23 | 31.39 pCi/L | 188 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Uranium, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Scottsbluff* | Scottsbluff, NE | 15 of 15 | 25.11 pCi/L | 15,030 |
| City of Grand Island* | Grand Island, NE | 30 of 30 | 20.03 pCi/L | 49,891 |
| City of Lexington | Lexington, NE | 6 of 6 | 17.48 pCi/L | 11,000 |
| Midvale City Water System | West Valley, UT | 20 of 20 | 17.47 pCi/L | 31,000 |
| City of North Platte* | North Platte, NE | 10 of 10 | 17.40 pCi/L | 25,000 |
| Waterpro Inc | Lehi, UT | 3 of 3 | 17.31 pCi/L | 28,000 |
| Espanola Water System* | Espanola, NM | 11 of 11 | 16.75 pCi/L | 10,495 |
| Santaquin City* | Santaquin, UT | 4 of 4 | 16.15 pCi/L | 10,500 |
| Warrington Twp Water&sew Dept* | Warrington, PA | 23 of 23 | 15.88 pCi/L | 18,400 |
| City of Great Bend | Great Bend, KS | 1 of 1 | 15.00 pCi/L | 15,840 |
| City of Sterling | Sterling, CO | 24 of 24 | 14.31 pCi/L | 13,794 |
| City of Kearney | Kearney, NE | 11 of 11 | 14.15 pCi/L | 30,000 |
| White City WID | Salt Lake City, UT | 5 of 5 | 13.83 pCi/L | 15,800 |
| Mission Springs WD | Desert Hot Springs, CA | 205 of 206 | 13.31 pCi/L | 34,626 |
| City of Garden City* | Garden City, KS | 7 of 7 | 12.63 pCi/L | 27,004 |
| Farmington City Water System | Ogden, UT | 5 of 5 | 12.37 pCi/L | 21,500 |
| Centerville City Water System | Centerville, UT | 8 of 8 | 12.29 pCi/L | 16,000 |
| Desert Water Agency | Palm Springs, CA | 66 of 66 | 12.12 pCi/L | 83,710 |
| Meridian Water Department | Meridian, ID | 55 of 64 | 12.00 pCi/L | 92,000 |
| Carson City Public Works* | Carson City, NV | 792 of 796 | 11.99 pCi/L | 56,000 |
| Twentynine Palms Water District | Twentynine Palms, CA | 54 of 54 | 11.66 pCi/L | 18,600 |
| City of Dodge City | Dodge City, KS | 4 of 4 | 11.40 pCi/L | 28,117 |
| South Adams County Water and Sanitation District* | Commerce City, CO | 14 of 14 | 10.76 pCi/L | 51,465 |
| California Water Service Company - Hermosa / Redondo Beach | San Jose, CA | 6 of 6 | 10.72 pCi/L | 95,605 |
| Global Water - Santa Cruz Water Company* | Tempe, AZ | 99 of 99 | 10.68 pCi/L | 17,005 |
| City of Liberal | Liberal, KS | 2 of 2 | 10.40 pCi/L | 21,012 |
| Murray City Water System* | Magna, UT | 8 of 9 | 10.36 pCi/L | 36,000 |
| Dona Ana MDWCA* | Dona Ana, NM | 8 of 8 | 10.22 pCi/L | 11,214 |
| City of Hereford | Hereford, TX | 6 of 6 | 10.09 pCi/L | 15,370 |
| Sandy City Water System* | Sandy, UT | 33 of 33 | 10.08 pCi/L | 99,750 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Uranium, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.