Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Ward II Water District

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.

 

102

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

23

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.06 pCi/L326ND - 0.34 pCi/L
20190.59 pCi/L43ND - 0.78 pCi/L
20200.40 pCi/L62ND - 1.20 pCi/L
20210.17 pCi/L4212ND - 0.89 pCi/L
2022ND30ND
2023ND150ND

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
2018-05-0235390161001ND
2018-05-0235390161002ND
2018-05-0235390161001ND
2018-05-0235390161002ND
2018-05-022020422-WELL #1 ENTRY POINT (AND
2018-05-02202055-WTP -- RAW WATERND
2018-05-022020624-CRANBERRY BROOK WELLND
2018-05-022020624-RAW WATER: OITS ST. WEND
2018-06-2535400823001ND
2018-06-25354008230020.26 pCi/L
2018-06-25354008230030.34 pCi/L
2018-06-2535400823004ND
2018-06-2535400823005ND
2018-06-2535400823001ND
2018-06-25354008230020.26 pCi/L
2018-06-25354008230030.34 pCi/L
2018-06-2535400823004ND
2018-06-2535400823005ND
2018-06-252020210-DENNIS K BURKE INC, 10ND
2018-06-25202023-UPTON TANKND
2018-06-25202024-WELL # 1ND
2018-06-252020312-MAIN STATION WELL 20.34 pCi/L
2018-06-252020318-WELL #1ND
2018-06-252020416-POINT OF ENTRY POST TRND
2018-06-252020512-WELL #2ND
2018-06-252020518-WELL #80.26 pCi/L
2018-06-25202056-GORDON COLLEGEND
2018-06-252020612-BRAINTREE WTP - FINISHND
2018-09-1035417396001ND
2018-09-1035417396001ND
2018-09-10202018-BILODEAU WTP #2 - ENDEDND
2018-09-10202023-ADAMS LIBRARY - 25 BOSTND
2019-07-24354852090010.78 pCi/L
2019-07-24354852090010.78 pCi/L
2019-07-24202035-DANVERS HIGH SCHOOL, CAND
2019-07-24202057-WELL #2 RAW WATER0.78 pCi/L
2020-06-2335558765001ND
2020-06-23355587650021.20 pCi/L
2020-06-23202146-RAW WATER: STATION #1,1.20 pCi/L
2020-06-232021520-MILLGATE RD. GP WELLND
2020-06-232021616-FINISHED: WELL #3 PAXTND
2020-06-232021624-GP WELL # 2ND
2021-03-29356227570010.89 pCi/L
2021-03-2935622757002ND
2021-03-2935622757003ND
2021-03-2920211013-TOWER RD WELL - RAW WND
2021-03-2920211018-WELL #3ND
2021-03-2920211031-WELL #8 & WELL #9 (090.89 pCi/L
2021-03-292021104-CAMBRIDGE WTP - FINISHND
2021-03-2920211117-WELL #3 & WELL #4ND
2021-03-2920211221-POINT OF ENTRY POST TND
2021-06-1435641234001ND
2021-06-14356412340020.63 pCi/L
2021-06-14356412340030.75 pCi/L
2021-06-1435641234004ND
2021-06-1435641234005ND
2021-06-1420211014-FINISHED: GROVE PONDND
2021-06-142021111-200 WESTBORO RD - 1STND
2021-06-1420211117-FRITO LAY-337 BALLARD0.63 pCi/L
2021-06-1420211117-WELL #3 & WELL #4ND
2021-06-1420211129-WELL # 2ND
2021-06-1420211129-WELL #1 AND WELL #2ND
2021-06-1420211129-WELL #3 & WELL #6 (02ND
2021-06-142021113-WELL # 6ND
2021-06-1420211228-POINT OF ENTRYND
2021-06-142021129-WELL # 9 HILLMAN0.75 pCi/L
2021-06-2835644430001ND
2021-06-28356444300020.85 pCi/L
2021-06-2835644430003ND
2021-06-28356444340010.29 pCi/L
2021-06-28356444340020.17 pCi/L
2021-06-2835644434003ND
2021-06-2820211011-RESERVOIRS POINT OF END
2021-06-2820211013-FINISHED: LELAND ROADND
2021-06-2820211019-WELL #2 SOURCE WATERND
2021-06-2820211025-BRUCE CAHOON WTP0.85 pCi/L
2021-06-2820211028-MID-POINT: CHESTNUT W0.17 pCi/L
2021-06-2820211117-GREAT SANDY BOTTOM FIND
2021-06-2820211118-FRANCIS ST. WELL BND
2021-06-282021113-WELL # 6ND
2021-06-282021119-ROUND HILL - 307 SMITHND
2021-06-2820211220-FORGE VILLAGE WTP-FINND
2021-06-2820211221-MBTA TROLLEY GARAGEND
2021-06-282021129-MCKEON TREATMENT PLANT0.29 pCi/L
2022-08-2235742597001ND
2022-08-222022718-GP WELL # 14 HIGGINS CND
2022-08-22202282-PINE OAKS WELL # 1ND
2023-05-0835799020001ND
2023-05-0835799020002ND
2023-05-0835799020003ND
2023-05-0835799020004ND
2023-05-0835799020005ND
2023-05-082023410-MID-POINT: BETWEEN ARSND
2023-05-082023414-RIVERVIEW SCHOOLND
2023-05-082023418-WELL #1: RAW WATERND
2023-05-082023425-REGIONAL FILTRATION PLND
2023-05-082023428-GWTP - FINISHED (1G,2GND
2023-05-08202352-HAPPY HOLLOW WELL #2R -ND
2023-05-082023615-WELLESLEY AVE. WTPND
2023-05-082023616-RAW: REPLACEMENT WELLND
2023-05-082023626-GP WELL # 10ND
2023-05-082023628-WELL #9ND