Radon In Well Water Effects

Ground water moves through rock containing natural uranium that releases radon into the water.

Radon in well water effects.

Radon exposure can happen in any type of home whether it has a. Radon dissolved in drinking water can be released into indoor air. Drinking water containing radon also presents a risk of developing internal organ cancers primarily stomach cancer. The who guidelines for drinking water quality 2011 recommend that screening levels for radon in drinking water be set on the basis of the national reference level for radon in air.

While most radon related deaths are due to radon gas accumulated in houses from seepage through cracks in the foundation 30 to 1 800 deaths per year are attributed to radon from household water. Normally a higher radon dose is received from inhaling radon compared with ingestion. For example a water well containing 2 000 pci l of radon would be expected to contribute 0 2 pci l to the indoor air radon concentration. Radon in soil under homes is the biggest source of radon in indoor air and presents a greater risk of lung cancer than radon in drinking water.

Only about 1 2 percent of radon in the air comes from drinking water. Water from wells usually has higher concentrations of radon than does surface water such as lakes and streams. What are the health effects associated with radon. Radon is also found in ground water tapped by wells which supply about half the drinking water in the united states.

The epa is proposing that radon levels in drinking water from public systems be below 300 pci l or alternatively below 4000 pci l if a multimedia mitigation plan for indoor air is developed by the state. Research indicates there is an increased risk of lung cancer associated with long term exposure to elevated radon levels. Rarely building materials have been found to release radon into buildings. As required by the safe drinking water act epa has developed a proposed regulation to reduce radon in drinking water that has a multimedia mitigation option to reduce radon in indoor air.

Currently there is no federally enforced drinking water standard for radon. Some radon stays in the water. Following ingestion of radon dissolved in water the biological half life for removal of radon from the body ranges from 30 to 70 minutes. Based on the potential for cancer the epa suggests that indoor air should not exceed 4 picocuries per liter pci l.

The effects of radon if found in food or drinking water are unknown. High levels of dissolved radon are found in the groundwater in some areas flowing through granite or granitic sand and gravel formations.