Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

West Monroe 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.

 

40

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

10

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.69 pCi/L43ND - 0.92 pCi/L
2019N/A00N/A
20200.04 pCi/L152ND - 0.31 pCi/L
2021ND30ND
2022N/A00N/A
20230.23 pCi/L185ND - 1.33 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
2018-07-16354053190010.92 pCi/L
2018-07-16354053190010.92 pCi/L
2018-07-162020121-STATION #4 (04G,05G)-0.92 pCi/L
2018-07-1620201211-WELLS #2 AND #3 - 100ND
2020-02-1735531852001ND
2020-02-1735531852002ND
2020-02-172021610-BRIDGE ST. WTP (2G-5G,ND
2020-02-17202155-CENTRAL FIRE STATIONND
2020-02-17202153-JENNIE DUGAN WELL (01G)ND
2020-02-172021512-MAHER FILTRATION PLANTND
2020-08-192021413-WELL #2ND
2020-08-19202169-NEW BOSTON RD SAMPLE STND
2020-08-19202164-RAW WATER: LANCASTER AV0.31 pCi/L
2020-08-19202153-COMMUNITY CTR - 232 MIDND
2020-08-192021519-OLD LOC.-RIVERNECK WTPND
2020-08-192021512-WELL #4 GREAT ROAD WTPND
2020-08-1935572116003ND
2020-08-19355721160020.31 pCi/L
2020-08-1935572116001ND
2021-06-1535641335001ND
2021-06-1520211018-MAIN ST. GP WELL #1ND
2021-06-1520211129-WELL # 2ND
2023-06-20358080820021.33 pCi/L
2023-06-20202365-GP WELL # 70.81 pCi/L
2023-06-20202365-GP WELL # 40.75 pCi/L
2023-06-202023523-FINISHED: DOPPING BROOND
2023-06-20202345-DISTRICT G FINISHED WATND
2023-06-20202343-ENTRY POINT AFTER TANK0.52 pCi/L
2023-06-202023419-FALL BROOK WTP: AFTERND
2023-06-2035808082001ND
2023-06-20358080820030.75 pCi/L
2023-06-2635809365001ND
2023-06-2635809365002ND
2023-06-2635809365003ND
2023-06-262023411-WELL 8A POPULATIC ST.ND
2023-06-262023417-WELL #1 POINT OF ENTRYND
2023-06-262023418-MID-POINT: POST SOFTENND
2023-06-262023510-CHEMICAL INJECTION FACND
2023-06-262023518-GP WELL #22 HAYDENND
2023-06-262023626-GP WELL # 8ND