Radium
Radium is a radioactive metal that occurs naturally in rocks, soil and ground water. As radium decays, it continually releases energy into the environment. Radium readily dissolves in ground water where acidic water conditions prevail. The various forms of radium in ground water are Radium 224, 226 and 228. A "gross alpha" test may be conducted to assess the presence of radium. The maximum allowable level for gross alpha is 15 pCi/l; and the maximum allowable level for
Radium 226 and 228 is 5 pCi/L.
For Radium 226 and 228, the U.S. EPA estimates the additional lifetime risk associated with drinking 2 liters of water containing 5 pCi/L is about 1 in 10,000. This means that if 10,000 people were to consume two liters of this water per day for 50 years, one additional fatal cancer would be estimated among the 10,000 people. As the level of radium increases, so does the risk. The risk associated with consuming water containing 5 pCi/L of radium for ONE year is comparable to one chest X-Ray or the cosmetic radiation received during five round trip air flights from Maryland to California.
Treatment for Radium: For Drinking Water we offer Reverse Osmosis. For whole house filtration, we offer a Water Softener.
Radium is a radioactive metal that occurs naturally in rocks, soil and ground water. As radium decays, it continually releases energy into the environment. Radium readily dissolves in ground water where acidic water conditions prevail. The various forms of radium in ground water are Radium 224, 226 and 228. A "gross alpha" test may be conducted to assess the presence of radium. The maximum allowable level for gross alpha is 15 pCi/l; and the maximum allowable level for
Radium 226 and 228 is 5 pCi/L.
For Radium 226 and 228, the U.S. EPA estimates the additional lifetime risk associated with drinking 2 liters of water containing 5 pCi/L is about 1 in 10,000. This means that if 10,000 people were to consume two liters of this water per day for 50 years, one additional fatal cancer would be estimated among the 10,000 people. As the level of radium increases, so does the risk. The risk associated with consuming water containing 5 pCi/L of radium for ONE year is comparable to one chest X-Ray or the cosmetic radiation received during five round trip air flights from Maryland to California.
Treatment for Radium: For Drinking Water we offer Reverse Osmosis. For whole house filtration, we offer a Water Softener.
