Strontium-90
Redlands City
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.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2014 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2015 | ND | 1 | 0 | ND |
| 2016 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2017 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2018 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2019 | 0.48 pCi/L | 18 | 13 | ND - 2.10 pCi/L |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-05-21 | 0010-026-1120 | ND |
| 2019-06-20 | 5867-035-0930 | 0.48 pCi/L |
| 2019-06-27 | 5867-003-0845 | 2.10 pCi/L |
| 2019-06-27 | 5867-070-1325 | ND |
| 2019-06-27 | 5867-069-0945 | 0.94 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-19 | 5867-008-1100 | 0.48 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-19 | 5867-062-0950 | 0.50 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-21 | 5867-021-1140 | ND |
| 2019-08-22 | 5867-019-1050 | 0.82 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-27 | 5867-053-1350 | 0.64 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-27 | 5867-055-0800 | 0.52 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-27 | 5867-060-1230 | ND |
| 2019-08-28 | 5867-017-1330 | 0.09 pCi/L |
| 2019-08-29 | 5867-029-0945 | 1.39 pCi/L |
| 2019-09-10 | 5867-010-0930 | 0.30 pCi/L |
| 2019-09-17 | 5867-031-0930 | ND |
| 2019-09-19 | 5867-025-0915 | 0.13 pCi/L |
| 2019-09-19 | 5867-026-1020 | ND |
| 2019-09-30 | 5867-012-1320 | 0.20 pCi/L |