Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Uranium

Cws - Lower Bodfish Water System

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.

 

29

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

2

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND20ND
2021N/A00N/A
20220.13 pCi/L162ND - 1.00 pCi/L
2023ND100ND

pCi/L = picocuries per liter

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.43 pCi/L

The EWG 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.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 20 pCi/L

pCi/L = picocuries per liter

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-03-13CA1510056_013_013-201803131215ND
2020-06-08CA1510056_013_013-202006081214ND
2020-08-05CA1510056_013_013-202008051048ND
2022-03-14CA1510056_013_013-202203141030ND
2022-04-06CA1510056_010_010-202204061035ND
2022-04-06CA1510056_022_022-2022040609301.00 pCi/L
2022-04-06CA1510056_008_008-202204061017ND
2022-04-19CA1510056_013_013-202204191032ND
2022-05-10CA1510056_013_013-202205101156ND
2022-06-06CA1510056_013_013-202206061140ND
2022-07-06CA1510056_013_013-202207061315ND
2022-07-12CA1510056_010_010-202207121250ND
2022-07-12CA1510056_008_008-202207121243ND
2022-07-12CA1510056_022_022-2022071212251.00 pCi/L
2022-08-04CA1510056_013_013-202208040902ND
2022-10-05CA1510056_008_008-202210050950ND
2022-10-05CA1510056_013_013-202210050858ND
2022-10-05CA1510056_010_010-202210050920ND
2022-12-06CA1510056_013_013-202212061208ND
2023-02-01CA1510056_013_013-202302011130ND
2023-03-06CA1510056_013_013-202303060921ND
2023-04-10CA1510056_013_013-202304100930ND
2023-05-04CA1510056_013_013-202305041244ND
2023-06-06CA1510056_013_013-202306061106ND
2023-07-12CA1510056_010_010-202307121035ND
2023-07-12CA1510056_013_013-202307121055ND
2023-10-04CA1510056_008_008-202310040855ND
2023-10-04CA1510056_010_010-202310040900ND
2023-10-04CA1510056_013_013-202310040835ND