Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Village Water System

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.

Click here to read more on radiological contaminants.

 

132

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

29

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
20190.22 pCi/L7221ND - 1.22 pCi/L
2020ND30ND
2021N/A00N/A
20220.06 pCi/L548ND - 0.53 pCi/L
2023ND30ND

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
2019-02-1135447880001ND
2019-02-11354478800020.75 pCi/L
2019-02-11354478800030.76 pCi/L
2019-02-1135447880004ND
2019-02-1135447880005ND
2019-02-1135447880006ND
2019-02-1135447880007ND
2019-02-1135447880008ND
2019-02-1135447880001ND
2019-02-11354478800020.75 pCi/L
2019-02-11354478800030.76 pCi/L
2019-02-1135447880004ND
2019-02-1135447880005ND
2019-02-1135447880006ND
2019-02-1135447880007ND
2019-02-1135447880008ND
2019-02-112020130-RAW WATER: STATION #1,ND
2019-02-112020213-NB - 46 BRALEY RD - BRND
2019-02-112020219-1 HOLBROOK CT - HOUSINND
2019-02-11202025-126 PROVIDENCE ROAD - 10.76 pCi/L
2019-02-11202027-WELLESLEY AVE. WTPND
2019-02-112020312-STATION #2ND
2019-02-11202032-LINCOLN NORTHND
2019-02-11202032-MILLER ST. GP WELLND
2019-02-112020417-FINISHED: WELL #4 - MC0.75 pCi/L
2019-02-11202042-RAW WATER: WHITCOMB WELND
2019-02-11202047-MARY DUNN & AIRPORT WELND
2019-02-112020526-FINISHED: WELL #1ND
2019-02-11202055-WTP -- RAW WATERND
2019-02-112020610-9 BLACK BEACH HILLS RDND
2019-02-11202069-RAW WATER: LANCASTER AVND
2019-02-11202069-WELL #1ND
2019-03-25354575580010.28 pCi/L
2019-03-25354575580020.94 pCi/L
2019-03-25354575580030.31 pCi/L
2019-03-2535457558004ND
2019-03-25354575580051.00 pCi/L
2019-03-2535457558006ND
2019-03-2535457558007ND
2019-03-2535457558008ND
2019-03-25354575580091.22 pCi/L
2019-03-25354575580010.28 pCi/L
2019-03-25354575580020.94 pCi/L
2019-03-25354575580030.31 pCi/L
2019-03-2535457558004ND
2019-03-25354575580051.00 pCi/L
2019-03-2535457558006ND
2019-03-2535457558007ND
2019-03-2535457558008ND
2019-03-25354575580091.22 pCi/L
2019-03-252020116-RAW: CHESTNUT ST. WTFND
2019-03-25202017-WATER TREATMENT PLANTND
2019-03-252020218-SOUTH STREET WELL POSTND
2019-03-25202034-RT. 127 - WELL #61.22 pCi/L
2019-03-25202048-ENTRY POINT AFTER TANKND
2019-03-252020512-OLD LOC. NO. - WELLS 2ND
2019-03-252020514-FINISHED: WELL #5 PAINND
2019-03-252020514-WELL #5 (RAW WATER)1.00 pCi/L
2019-03-252020518-NORTH ADAMS REGIONAL HND
2019-03-252020526-FINISHED: BLACKSTONE S0.28 pCi/L
2019-03-252020527-WESTFIELD RD WTP MANHAND
2019-03-25202054-EDWARD J DELANEY WTPND
2019-03-25202057-PUMPHOUSE: FINISHED WATND
2019-03-252020610-CRYSTAL SPRINGS BLENDND
2019-03-252020618-RAW: CHESTNUT ST. WELLND
2019-03-25202062-FILTRATION PLANT 6-7-90.31 pCi/L
2019-03-252020623-RAW WATER: WELL 2ND
2019-03-25202064-RAW WATER: WELL 1 BEFOR0.94 pCi/L
2019-04-0135458991001ND
2019-04-0135458991001ND
2019-04-012020520-WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOLND
2019-04-012020527-FINISHED: WELL #1 (POSND
2020-11-1935593860001ND
2020-11-192021511-POINT OF ENTRYND
2020-11-192021512-HINGHAM ANIMAL CLINICND
2022-03-1535704999001ND
2022-03-1535704999002ND
2022-03-1535704999004ND
2022-03-1535704999005ND
2022-03-1535704999006ND
2022-03-152022711-99 REVERE ST, FIRE STAND
2022-03-152022711-POINT OF ENTRY POST TRND
2022-03-152022712-185 GUELPHWOOD RD-DPWND
2022-03-152022714-BOSTON ST. WTP - FINISND
2022-03-15202275-MAPLE SPRINGS PLANTND
2022-03-152022817-LONG POND WTP POST TREND
2022-03-15202282-RUNTAL CO.-WARD HILL 3ND
2022-03-152022824-CHESTNUT WTF POST TREAND
2022-03-15202288-SEEKONK ST - SAMPLE HYDND
2022-03-15202297-WATER TREATMENT PLANTND
2022-03-2135705852001ND
2022-03-2135705852002ND
2022-03-2135705852003ND
2022-03-2135705852004ND
2022-03-2135705852005ND
2022-03-212022713-FINISHED: WELL #4 - MCND
2022-03-212022719-PINE ST. GP WELLND
2022-03-212022721-TREATED: JACQUES WTF (ND
2022-03-21202275-POINT OF ENTRY POST TREND
2022-03-212022817-CENTRAL FIRE STATION-ND
2022-03-21202282-BIANCA'SND
2022-03-21202283-24 EUGENE ROAD - PETERSND
2022-03-212022913-WASHINGTON PLANTND
2022-03-212022922-CLARKE PARK BLDGND
2022-03-212022927-WELL #9 EAST CENTRAL SND
2022-03-29357073480010.22 pCi/L
2022-03-2935707348002ND
2022-03-2935707348003ND
2022-03-29357073480040.52 pCi/L
2022-03-2935707348005ND
2022-03-2935707348006ND
2022-03-29357073480070.28 pCi/L
2022-03-292022714-WELL # 2,3,4,5ND
2022-03-292022719-WELL #4ND
2022-03-292022720-WELL #8 & WELL #9 (09GND
2022-03-292022726-TREATED: BEMIS ROAD WTND
2022-03-29202275-MAPLE SPRINGS PLANTND
2022-03-29202276-CAMBRIDGE WTP - FINISH0.28 pCi/L
2022-03-292022815-HORN POND WTP - RAW WAND
2022-03-292022815-SOUTHBOROUGH, 221 TURNND
2022-03-292022818-FR - 15 BEACH STREETND
2022-03-29202282-OLD LOC. NO.--SPRINGVAL0.22 pCi/L
2022-03-292022824-FINISHED: FISHER ST. WND
2022-03-29202288-HOME FARM WTP: FINISHED0.52 pCi/L
2022-03-292022920-REPLACEMENT WELL #3ND
2022-03-29202299-CLEVELAND WTP POST TREAND
2022-12-06357653540060.53 pCi/L
2022-12-062022714-GP WELL # 11 KRISTIN'SND
2022-12-062022720-W. GLOUCESTER WTP (2-40.53 pCi/L
2023-11-2735844622002ND
2023-11-27202344-WELL 3 SOURCE SAMPLE TAND
2023-11-27202351-RAW WATER: GP WELL 7.1ND