Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Tangipahoa Parish 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.

 

104

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

20

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.20 pCi/L4412ND - 1.09 pCi/L
2019N/A00N/A
20200.16 pCi/L214ND - 1.05 pCi/L
20210.08 pCi/L152ND - 0.60 pCi/L
2022N/A00N/A
20230.07 pCi/L242ND - 0.78 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
2018-01-2935371217001ND
2018-01-2935371217002ND
2018-01-2935371217003ND
2018-01-2935371217004ND
2018-01-2935371217001ND
2018-01-2935371217002ND
2018-01-2935371217003ND
2018-01-2935371217004ND
2018-01-292020218-C. ZARBA- 1600 GEN. EDND
2018-01-29202024-SPRINGVALE WTPND
2018-01-292020319-86 POWDER MILL RD - VIND
2018-01-292020414-DRILLED WELL #1 (01G)ND
2018-01-292020514-FINISHED: GEORGE D'ANGND
2018-01-292020519-TREATED: SPRING ST. REND
2018-01-29202055-CARROLL WTP - FINISHEDND
2018-01-292020624-FINISHED: WELL #2 PAXTND
2018-05-0735391332001ND
2018-05-0735391332002ND
2018-05-0735391332001ND
2018-05-0735391332002ND
2018-05-07202046-GWTP - FINISHED (1G,2G,ND
2018-05-072020512-FINISHED: WELL # 2ND
2018-05-072020526-POINT OF ENTRY (COMMUNND
2018-05-07202061-LINCOLN NORTHND
2018-12-03354349980011.09 pCi/L
2018-12-03354349980020.72 pCi/L
2018-12-0335434998003ND
2018-12-03354349980040.72 pCi/L
2018-12-03354349980050.46 pCi/L
2018-12-03354349980011.09 pCi/L
2018-12-03354349980020.72 pCi/L
2018-12-0335434998003ND
2018-12-03354349980040.72 pCi/L
2018-12-03354349980050.46 pCi/L
2018-12-032020113-WELL 11, 12 AND 140.46 pCi/L
2018-12-032020116-CHESTNUT WTF POST TREA0.72 pCi/L
2018-12-032020128-WELL D2 - RAW WATERND
2018-12-03202018-GWTP - FINISHED (1G,2G,ND
2018-12-03202035-TOWN WATER/ELECTRIC OFFND
2018-12-032020514-TWF WHITCOMB AVENUEND
2018-12-032020514-WELL #6 (RAW WATER)0.72 pCi/L
2018-12-032020520-FINISHED: PATTON REPLAND
2018-12-03202055-AIR FORCE PROPERTY-SAGA1.09 pCi/L
2018-12-032020615-BROWN WELL POST TREATMND
2020-03-02355353430011.05 pCi/L
2020-03-02202146-POINT OF ENTRY1.05 pCi/L
2020-03-022021518-RAW: QUINIPOXET GP WELND
2020-11-1635593782001ND
2020-11-1635593782002ND
2020-11-1635593782003ND
2020-11-1635593782004ND
2020-11-16355937820050.63 pCi/L
2020-11-1635593782006ND
2020-11-162021412-ROBINSON GP WELL (06G)ND
2020-11-162021413-REPLACEMENT WELL #1ND
2020-11-16202147-PAUL D. DALEY WELL (03G0.63 pCi/L
2020-11-162021525-POINT OF ENTRY (COMMUNND
2020-11-16202161-PERRY HILL STATION (6G,ND
2020-11-162021615-12 WINTER ST - DPW HWYND
2020-11-162021616-FINISHED: WINTHROP HOUND
2020-11-162021617-FINISHED: SNAKE POND WND
2020-11-162021623-CHESTNUT WTF POST TREAND
2020-11-16202163-SPRING STREET WELLND
2020-11-16202164-RAW WATER: LANCASTER AVND
2020-11-16202167-TREATED: SALMON BROOKND
2021-11-01356754160010.60 pCi/L
2021-11-0135675416002ND
2021-11-0135675416003ND
2021-11-0135675416004ND
2021-11-0135675416005ND
2021-11-0120211013-TOWER RD WELL - RAW WND
2021-11-0120211019-POINT OF ENTRY POST TND
2021-11-0120211117-BROWN SCHOOL LYNN STRND
2021-11-0120211118-WELLS #1 & #2ND
2021-11-012021112-NORTH ST. FIRE STATIONND
2021-11-012021113-ELLMS MEADOW WELL FIELND
2021-11-012021113-MAIN WTPND
2021-11-0120211220-OAK ST WTP FINISHEDND
2021-11-012021123-NATIONAL GRID, QUINCYND
2021-11-012021127-TREATED: WELL #1 - CHU0.60 pCi/L
2023-03-2835789166001ND
2023-03-28202345-DISTRICT G FINISHED WATND
2023-03-28202352-MORSES POND WELLND
2023-10-2535837335001ND
2023-10-2535837335002ND
2023-10-252023412-WELL #1 ENTRY POINT (AND
2023-10-252023418-FINISHED WATER (BLEND)ND
2023-10-252023612-FINISHED: WELL #1 - NOND
2023-10-25202365-CHAPIN STREET PUMPING SND
2023-11-0635840552001ND
2023-11-06358405520020.78 pCi/L
2023-11-0635840552003ND
2023-11-0635840552004ND
2023-11-0635840552005ND
2023-11-062023418-WELL #1: RAW WATERND
2023-11-062023420-RAW WATER: STATION #1,ND
2023-11-06202343-ENTRY POINT AFTER TANKND
2023-11-06202343-FINISHED: ENTRY POINT (ND
2023-11-06202344-POINT OF ENTRYND
2023-11-06202352-EDWARD J DELANEY WTPND
2023-11-062023523-WELL #40.78 pCi/L
2023-11-06202354-FINISHED: WASHINGTON STND
2023-11-06202367-SHABOKIN TRAIN A POST TND
2023-11-06202368-H&T BETWEEN FILTERS 3 AND