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EWG's Tap Water Database — 2021 UPDATE

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Strontium-90

Metropolitan Water District of So. Cal.

Strontium is a metal that accumulates in the bones. Radioactive strontium-90 can cause bone cancer and leukemia, and any form of strontium at high doses can harm bone health. Read More.

Strontium-90 has been emitted widely by nuclear power plants, weapons facilities, waste sites and nuclear research facilities. Strontium-90 is structurally similar to calcium and is thus taken up into bones. The chief health concerns from strontium-90 exposure are bone cancer and leukemia.

No federal drinking water standards for strontium-90 exist. California set a legal maximum of 8 picocuries of strontium-90 radioactivity per liter of water. California also has a public health goal of no more than 0.35 picocuries of strontium-90 per liter of drinking water. According to studies by the U.S. Geological Survey, strontium-90 also is a concern for water quality in private wells.

Click here to read more on radiological contaminants.

 

19

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

9

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2014N/A00N/A
2015N/A00N/A
2016N/A00N/A
20170.68 pCi/L1913ND - 2.00 pCi/L
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A

pCi/L = picocuries per liter

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 0.35 pCi/L

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.35 pCi/L for strontium-90 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. This health guideline protects against cancer.

pCi/L = picocuries per liter

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2017-02-065867-003-09550.44 pCi/L
2017-02-065867-026-10200.33 pCi/L
2017-02-065867-005-09300.22 pCi/L
2017-02-065867-020-11250.50 pCi/L
2017-02-065867-013-10200.44 pCi/L
2017-05-015867-003-10102.00 pCi/L
2017-05-015867-026-09432.00 pCi/L
2017-05-015867-020-11302.00 pCi/L
2017-05-015867-013-09302.00 pCi/L
2017-05-015867-005-09182.00 pCi/L
2017-08-075867-013-0000ND
2017-08-075867-005-00000.84 pCi/L
2017-08-075867-003-00000.16 pCi/L
2017-08-075867-026-00000.09 pCi/L
2017-11-062542-005-0850ND
2017-11-062542-013-2130ND
2017-11-062542-020-1110ND
2017-11-062542-003-0951ND
2017-11-062542-026-1015ND