Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Gowc North 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.

 

54

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

8

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A
2020ND30ND
20210.15 pCi/L92ND - 0.65 pCi/L
20220.05 pCi/L212ND - 0.51 pCi/L
20230.12 pCi/L214ND - 0.65 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
2020-12-0235596280001ND
2020-12-022021511-WELL 4ND
2020-12-022021413-GP WELL #4RND
2021-02-0135608834004ND
2021-02-0120211019-FINISHED: SPECTACLE PND
2021-02-0120211013-GP WELL # 3ND
2021-05-0335630681004ND
2021-05-03356306810050.65 pCi/L
2021-05-0320211223-WELL # 1ND
2021-05-032021122-RAW WATER: CRANBERRY B0.65 pCi/L
2021-05-0320211129-RAW WATER: WELL #2ND
2021-05-0320211019-POINT OF ENTRY POST TND
2022-02-09202281-COUNTRY PIZZA-6 ASHBY SND
2022-02-09202296-WPFP LAB SINKND
2022-02-092022915-54 SOUTH AVE - TOWN HAND
2022-02-092022718-STA # 20.51 pCi/L
2022-02-0935696474004ND
2022-02-09356964740030.51 pCi/L
2022-04-042022912-SARGENTS FILTER 2 EFFLND
2022-04-042022817-LONG POND WTP POST TREND
2022-04-042022719-WELLS #1 & 1A OLD MARLND
2022-04-042022713-HOME FARM WTP: FINISHEND
2022-04-0435708518004ND
2022-04-0435708518003ND
2022-09-272022824-LOG CABIN RESTAURANTND
2022-09-27202276-STATION #4 (04G,05G)- END
2022-09-2735750438002ND
2022-10-242022712-CHESTNUT ST WTP FINISHND
2022-10-2435755885002ND
2022-10-2435755885001ND
2022-10-242022719-FINISHED: WELL 6ND
2022-10-242022720-W. GLOUCESTER WTP (2-4ND
2022-10-242022815-69 LATHROP STREETND
2023-01-232023626-POINT OF ENTRY POST TRND
2023-01-23202367-POLICE STATION - 300 WAND
2023-01-2335774809001ND
2023-01-2735777481001ND
2023-01-272023419-FINISHED: WELL #2 - OAND
2023-01-27202358-WELL 2 AND 3ND
2023-02-2235781903001ND
2023-02-22202346-RAW WATER: LANCASTER AVND
2023-02-222023613-FINISHED: WELL #1ND
2023-04-03357902490010.65 pCi/L
2023-04-03357902490020.65 pCi/L
2023-04-032023516-TREATED: WEST STREET W0.65 pCi/L
2023-04-032023616-WHITCOMB WELLS WTP (BL0.65 pCi/L
2023-04-032023623-HIGH STREET TREATMENTND
2023-04-03202368-GP WELL # 1ND
2023-07-102023616-WHITCOMB WELLS WTP (BLND
2023-07-1035812564001ND
2023-07-10202353-TREATMENT PLANT - FINISND
2023-07-102023519-SAMPLE STN - COPPAGE DND
2023-07-102023411-DPW - 130 CENTER STND
2023-07-1035812564002ND