Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Belmont Waterworks Inc.

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.

 

75

Samples

2

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

11

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A
20200.79 pCi/L243ND - 9.42 pCi/L
20210.07 pCi/L304ND - 0.70 pCi/L
2022ND120ND
20230.23 pCi/L94ND - 0.66 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
2020-03-022021422-MASHPEE VILLAGE WELL 60.82 pCi/L
2020-03-02202147-PAUL D. DALEY WELL (03GND
2020-03-02355348880019.42 pCi/L
2020-03-0235534888002ND
2020-03-0235534888003ND
2020-03-022021510-WELL #2 RAW WATERND
2020-03-022021513-FINISHED WATER: MAIN WND
2020-03-022021618-ENTRY POINT AFTER STOR8.60 pCi/L
2020-03-02202169-RAW WATER: WELL #5ND
2020-04-2835546757001ND
2020-04-2835546757002ND
2020-04-282021414-SO. CHATHAM TREATMENTND
2020-04-28202147-PAUL D. DALEY WELL (03GND
2020-04-282021426-RAW: GREEN ST. BEDROCKND
2020-04-282021421-RAW WATER: ROSENFELD WND
2020-07-222021518-FINISHED: GROVE POND WND
2020-07-222021426-POND ST. WELL 1ND
2020-07-2235565377001ND
2020-12-0335597121008ND
2020-12-03202142-TREATED: WELL #3 - CHURND
2020-12-032021513-BORGE WTP - ENDED 2022ND
2020-12-032021616-FINISHED: LOWELL & DUDND
2020-12-03202169-RAW WATER: WELL #1ND
2020-12-0335597121007ND
2021-01-2020211227-45 ORCHARD LN - 2ND WND
2021-01-2020211117-WINTHROP TOWN HALL-1ND
2021-01-2020211013-WELL 1 AND WELL 2ND
2021-01-2035606503002ND
2021-01-2035606503001ND
2021-01-2020211012-CHARLES RIVER WTP - FND
2021-04-062021114-CHAMBERLAIN G.P. WELLND
2021-04-062021104-CAMBRIDGE WTP - FINISH0.37 pCi/L
2021-04-0620211026-TRINITY WELLFIELD WTPND
2021-04-0635624833002ND
2021-04-06356248330010.37 pCi/L
2021-04-0620211229-WELL # 3 - YMCAND
2021-07-07356481890040.70 pCi/L
2021-07-0720211013-TOWER RD WELL - RAW WND
2021-07-0720211027-PALMER RIVER TREATMENND
2021-07-0735648189005ND
2021-07-0720211228-POINT OF ENTRY0.70 pCi/L
2021-07-072021129-WHITING ST FILTER PLANND
2021-07-1435648064001ND
2021-07-142021107-WELLS #1,#2 (01G,02G)ND
2021-07-1420211228-ENTRY POINT AFTER STOND
2021-10-0520211117-PROCTOR HOUSE RESTAURND
2021-10-0520211018-WHITING ST FILTER PLAND
2021-10-0520211027-TREATED: WELL #2 - CHND
2021-10-0535668355001ND
2021-10-0535668355002ND
2021-10-0535668355003ND
2021-10-052021119-POINT OF ENTRY POST TRND
2021-10-052021122-PARKS DEPT FIELD HOUSEND
2021-10-052021129-WELL # 9 HILLMANND
2022-02-012022712-WELL 1 AND 2ND
2022-02-012022715-LAKE MIRIMICHI WELLS 1ND
2022-02-012022721-WELL #6ND
2022-02-01202276-WELL # 1ND
2022-02-01202289-GP WELL # 10ND
2022-02-0135694940001ND
2022-02-0135694940002ND
2022-02-0135694942003ND
2022-02-012022916-SHAWSHEEN AVE - RAW WAND
2022-05-112022726-TREATED: BEMIS ROAD WTND
2022-05-112022816-MARBLEHEAD, NECK TAP @ND
2022-05-1135719039001ND
2023-04-10202346-TURNPIKE LAKE WTP0.66 pCi/L
2023-04-10202359-WELL 6,7 AND 8ND
2023-04-102023424-REGIONAL FILTRATION PLND
2023-04-102023510-CHEMICAL INJECTION FAC0.38 pCi/L
2023-04-10357923830020.38 pCi/L
2023-04-102023419-RAW WATER: POPULATIC WND
2023-04-102023418-FINISHED: WELL #4 SOUTND
2023-04-1035792383001ND
2023-04-10357923830030.66 pCi/L