Radium, combined (-226 and -228)
Regional Water Authority
Radium is a radioactive element that causes bone cancer and other cancers. It can occur naturally in groundwater, and oil and gas extraction activities such as hydraulic fracturing can elevate concentrations. Read More.
Radium releases radioactive particles that harm health in many ways, causing tumors in bone, lungs and other organs; leukemia; and skin and blood damage. Water utilities typically report radium amounts in picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is a measure of radioactivity in water. The two most common forms of radium are radium-226 and radium-228. They may be reported separately or together.
Federal law allows up to 5 picocuries per liter of combined radium-226 and radium-228 in tap water. Research by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that in some regions of the country, such as the mid-continental region and North Atlantic coastal region, more than 20 percent of sampled wells have radium in levels exceeding the federal drinking water limit. And the legal limit does not equate safety: The EPA estimates that one in every 10,000 people drinking water containing radium at this level would develop cancer over a lifetime.
California set a public health goal much lower than the federal limit – 0.05 picocuries per liter of radium-226 and 0.019 picocuries per liter of radium-228, concentrations that are lower than the detection limit for most water tests.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2019 | ND | 2 | 0 | ND |
| 2020 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2021 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2022 | 0.33 pCi/L | 11 | 2 | ND - 2.40 pCi/L |
| 2023 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
pCi/L = picocuries per liter
State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water
EWG Health Guideline: 0.05 pCi/L
EWG applied the health guideline of 0.05 pCi/L, defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal for radium-226, to radium-226 and radium-228 combined. This health guideline protects against cancer.
EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 5 pCi/L
The legal limit for combined radium-226 and radium-228, established in 1976, was based on costs for radium removal, as calculated at the time that the standard was set. This limit does not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to radium exposure.
pCi/L = picocuries per liter
All test results
| Date | Lab ID | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-07-25 | S1035278 | ND |
| 2019-11-07 | 4934860 | ND |
| 2022-09-20 | R300246514 300246516 | ND |
| 2022-09-23 | R300248406 300248408 | ND |
| 2022-09-23 | R300248410 300248412 | 1.20 pCi/L |
| 2022-09-23 | R300248417 300248419 | ND |
| 2022-09-23 | R300248421 300248423 | ND |
| 2022-09-26 | R300249022 300249024 | ND |
| 2022-09-26 | R300249026 300249028 | ND |
| 2022-09-26 | R300248981 300248983 | ND |
| 2022-09-26 | R300248985 300248987 | 2.40 pCi/L |
| 2022-09-27 | R300249570 300249572 | ND |
| 2022-09-27 | R300249574 300249576 | ND |