Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Fort Johnson South 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.

 

90

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

60

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20181.17 pCi/L1611ND - 3.13 pCi/L
20192.14 pCi/L13130.93 pCi/L - 2.92 pCi/L
20201.26 pCi/L1210ND - 2.43 pCi/L
20210.52 pCi/L2812ND - 2.59 pCi/L
20220.59 pCi/L127ND - 1.41 pCi/L
20231.70 pCi/L97ND - 4.36 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
2018-09-11354175140031.93 pCi/L
2018-09-1135417514002ND
2018-09-1135417514001ND
2018-09-11354175140031.93 pCi/L
2018-09-1135417514001ND
2018-09-1135417514002ND
2018-09-13376610.59 pCi/L
2018-09-13354178610010.74 pCi/L
2018-09-13354178610020.59 pCi/L
2018-09-13L7050677-3ND
2018-09-13354178610032.65 pCi/L
2018-09-13354178610032.65 pCi/L
2018-09-13354178610020.59 pCi/L
2018-09-13354178610010.74 pCi/L
2018-10-17354254340053.13 pCi/L
2018-10-17354254340053.13 pCi/L
2019-01-29DH_18_04970.94 pCi/L
2019-01-29354454720022.14 pCi/L
2019-01-29354454720012.67 pCi/L
2019-01-29354454720022.14 pCi/L
2019-01-29354454720012.67 pCi/L
2019-06-13354757300022.92 pCi/L
2019-06-13354757300022.92 pCi/L
2019-09-06354968790012.10 pCi/L
2019-09-0603207120.93 pCi/L
2019-09-06354968790012.10 pCi/L
2019-11-1403007121.38 pCi/L
2019-11-14355132270012.47 pCi/L
2019-11-14355132270012.47 pCi/L
2020-02-27355340420011.03 pCi/L
2020-02-27202167-POINT OF ENTRY POST TRE1.03 pCi/L
2020-02-27202145-WELL #5 SOURCE TAPND
2020-06-02355543050011.81 pCi/L
2020-06-02202167-POINT OF ENTRY POST TRE1.81 pCi/L
2020-06-02202146-GP WELL # 10 FOREST RDND
2020-08-18355727250012.28 pCi/L
2020-08-182021524-RAW WATER: CROSS ST. W1.28 pCi/L
2020-08-18202146-POINT OF ENTRY1.00 pCi/L
2020-10-13202169-REPLACEMENT WELL #31.41 pCi/L
2020-10-132021420-FINISHED: WELL #11.02 pCi/L
2020-10-13355851480012.43 pCi/L
2021-03-0220211117-WELL #3 & WELL #40.83 pCi/L
2021-03-022021127-WELL #10 AND WELL #111.24 pCi/L
2021-03-02356168920012.07 pCi/L
2021-06-24356434030012.59 pCi/L
2021-06-2420211026-WELLS #2 & #30.89 pCi/L
2021-06-242021106-BEAVER BROOK WTP EFFLU1.70 pCi/L
2021-08-2420211020-COMBINED RAW WATER0.47 pCi/L
2021-08-2420211025-WELL 4 AND 5ND
2021-08-24356589360010.47 pCi/L
2021-08-2420211019-POINT OF ENTRY POST T1.10 pCi/L
2021-08-2420211018-PUMPHOUSE: FINISHED WND
2021-08-2420211013-TOWER RD WELL - RAW W0.55 pCi/L
2021-08-2420211012-POINT OF ENTRY POST TND
2021-08-242021107-WELLS #1,#2 (01G,02G)ND
2021-08-2420211116-FINISHED: LELAND ROADND
2021-08-2420211118-11 BREEZY POINT WAY -ND
2021-08-242021112-TRAINING FIELD WELL (0ND
2021-08-24356589360020.55 pCi/L
2021-08-2435658936003ND
2021-08-2435658936004ND
2021-08-2435658936005ND
2021-08-24356589360062.20 pCi/L
2021-08-2435658953001ND
2021-08-2420211222-FINISHED: CHESTNUT STND
2021-08-242021128-SCHOOL ST. WELLND
2021-10-1335670394001ND
2021-10-1320211019-POINT OF ENTRY POST TND
2021-10-1320211119-FINISHED: WHITIN TWFND
2022-03-0335702278001ND
2022-03-032022711-FINISHED: WELL 1 ENTRYND
2022-03-032022720-FINISHED: WELL #2 - NOND
2022-05-04357155630011.41 pCi/L
2022-05-042022817-122 NORTH BLANDFORD ROND
2022-05-04202297-325 WALNUT ST.1.41 pCi/L
2022-08-05357383850011.37 pCi/L
2022-08-052022714-GP WELL # 11 KRISTIN'S0.42 pCi/L
2022-08-05202281-DUNKIN DONUTS-51 BOSTON0.96 pCi/L
2022-11-15357604800010.76 pCi/L
2022-11-152022713-RAW WATER #6.3 HOME FAND
2022-11-152022827-GLEN STREET-DOVER0.76 pCi/L
2023-05-08358005210012.30 pCi/L
2023-05-08202343-FINISHED: WELL #21.07 pCi/L
2023-05-082023629-FINISHED: WELL #21.23 pCi/L
2023-08-04358199100014.36 pCi/L
2023-08-042023418-TREATED WATER 01G/03GND
2023-08-042023619-WELL 1: RAW WATER4.36 pCi/L
2023-11-072023516-MURACO SCHOOL, BATES R0.99 pCi/L
2023-11-072023420-CYR STATION 1ND
2023-11-07358405190010.99 pCi/L