Strontium-90
Woodland-davis Clean Water Agency
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2015 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2016 | ND | 3 | 0 | ND |
| 2017 | 0.97 pCi/L | 4 | 4 | 0.36 pCi/L - 1.76 pCi/L |
| 2018 | 0.56 pCi/L | 3 | 3 | 0.15 pCi/L - 0.82 pCi/L |
| 2019 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-24 | 0010-002-1055 | ND |
| 2016-07-13 | 0010-002-0930 | ND |
| 2016-11-09 | 0010-002-1200 | ND |
| 2017-01-12 | 4470-002-1030 | 0.36 pCi/L |
| 2017-05-10 | 4470-002-1130 | 0.94 pCi/L |
| 2017-07-12 | 4470-002-1202 | 0.81 pCi/L |
| 2017-10-11 | 4470-002-1153 | 1.76 pCi/L |
| 2018-05-09 | 4470-002-1100 | 0.15 pCi/L |
| 2018-07-11 | 4470-002-1341 | 0.71 pCi/L |
| 2018-10-10 | 4470-002-1045 | 0.82 pCi/L |