Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Ruston 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.

 

64

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

4

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A
20200.03 pCi/L342ND - 0.53 pCi/L
2021N/A00N/A
2022N/A00N/A
20230.01 pCi/L302ND - 0.19 pCi/L

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
2020-01-07202167-MCKEON TREATMENT PLANTND
2020-01-072021524-WELL #4 AND #5ND
2020-01-0735523111001ND
2020-01-132021623-RAW WATER: STATION #1,ND
2020-01-13202145-FINISHED WATER: POND RDND
2020-01-132021427-FINISHED: WELL#5 - VILND
2020-01-132021427-FINISHED: POPULATIC PUND
2020-01-132021426-WELL #1ND
2020-01-132021425-RAW WATER: WELL #3ND
2020-01-132021414-NOTOWN WTP: AFTER TREAND
2020-01-13202146-WELL # 7ND
2020-01-13202147-POINT OF ENTRYND
2020-01-132021510-TREATMENT PLANT - FININD
2020-01-132021513-FINISHED WATER: MAIN WND
2020-01-132021518-RAW: QUINIPOXET GP WELND
2020-01-132021520-MILLGATE RD. GP WELLND
2020-01-13202169-RAW WATER: WELL #1ND
2020-01-1335524733008ND
2020-01-1335524733007ND
2020-01-1335524733006ND
2020-01-1335524733005ND
2020-01-1335524733004ND
2020-01-1335524733003ND
2020-01-1335524733002ND
2020-01-1335524733001ND
2020-06-2235558556001ND
2020-06-222021422-MASHPEE VILLAGE WELL 6ND
2020-06-222021427-WTP - 687 CHASE ROADND
2020-06-222021615-WELL #9ND
2020-06-22202164-RAW: LANCASTER AVE TWF0.53 pCi/L
2020-06-22355585560020.53 pCi/L
2020-12-0835597801001ND
2020-12-082021520-CRANBERRY TRAIN A 50%ND
2020-12-08202164-RAW: LANCASTER AVE TWFND
2023-02-2735782669004ND
2023-02-27202366-ATLANTIC & SANDY WAYND
2023-02-272023620-FINISHED: TOWNSEND RDND
2023-02-27202362-GRATTAN STREET FIRE STAND
2023-02-272023615-WELL #2 SOURCE TAPND
2023-02-272023613-BRAINTREE WTP - FINISHND
2023-02-272023531-D'ANGELIS: POST GAC VEND
2023-02-27202352-RAW WATER: ROCKLAND WELND
2023-02-272023510-CHEMICAL INJECTION FACND
2023-02-27202344-MARY DUNN & AIRPORT WELND
2023-02-2735782669001ND
2023-02-2735782669002ND
2023-02-27357826690030.19 pCi/L
2023-02-2735782669005ND
2023-02-272023420-MID-POINT: CHESTNUT WT0.19 pCi/L
2023-03-062023410-MID-POINT: BETWEEN PFAND
2023-03-06202368-FINISHED: ENTRY POINT AND
2023-03-062023616-SPEC POND WTP-RAW WATEND
2023-03-062023613-GP WELLS #1,2,4A & 5AND
2023-03-06202354-GREAT POND WTP FINISHEDND
2023-03-06202343-RAW WATER: WELL #7ND
2023-03-06202343-HUBBARD WELL #2 POINT OND
2023-03-062023427-MYERS AVE.WELLS MULTIPND
2023-03-062023425-GP WELL # 6ND
2023-03-062023410-RAW WATER: WELL #1ND
2023-03-0635784479005ND
2023-03-0635784479004ND
2023-03-0635784479003ND
2023-03-0635784479002ND
2023-03-0635784479001ND