#RADIUM WATER SKIN#

If the gross alpha result is equal to or greater than 5 pCi/L, then testing for radium 226 and radium 228 should be requested. If the is gross alpha result is less than 5 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) then no testing for radium 226, radium 228, or uranium is needed, because the results will be below the public drinking water standards. The recommended approach is to request that the laboratory first test for gross alpha. Thus, at least two samples (taken a month or two apart, if possible) should be taken before conclusions are reached regarding the average concentration of any radionuclide. The concentration of radioactive minerals in well water can vary substantially based on rainfall and other factors. For a searchable listing of MassDEP Certified Laboratories, see MassDEP's Certified Laboratories. If you have a private well constructed in bedrock, you should have the water tested to determine if radionuclides are present. If a standard is exceeded, the utility must notify customers. Consumer Confidence Reports (annual water quality reports) issued by the utility in early summer will also contain this information. If you are served by a community public water system, you can contact the utility for specific information on radionuclides in your water. What are the health standards for radionuclides in drinking water? In addition to cancer risks from ingestion of radon dissolved in water, the greater risks from radon exposures are associated with inhalation of the gas, which may increase the risk of lung cancer. A significant concern regarding the presence of radium is radon, which is produced from the radioactive decay of radium. This accumulation may, over time, result in an increased risk of bone cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma. Some of it is excreted from the body with waste but a portion of it may accumulate in bone. Radium is a health hazard when it is ingested.

#RADIUM WATER SKIN#

Skin exposure is generally not a major concern. EPA set its drinking water standard for uranium primarily on its chemical toxicity, but as a precaution also considered the potential for uranium to cause cancer after a lifetime of drinking water exposure, under the assumption that any constituent that has radioactive properties could cause cancer. Health effects from exposure to naturally-occurring uranium in drinking water are associated with the chemical toxicity of uranium. Chronic exposures can also result in kidney effects. However, most of the effects seen in humans have been due to high short-term exposures, and some occupational studies have shown a reversal of kidney effects after exposure ends. The primary health effect from exposure to elevated levels of uranium is kidney damage. Uranium is a health hazard only if it is taken into the body. Other sources of radioactivity in the environment include X-rays, radiation from the sun, foods from plants that concentrate radioactivity as they grow, antique fluorescent watch dials, and many other sources. Exposure to radioactivity increases the risk of developing various cancers.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets public drinking water standards and has determined that exposures via drinking water to certain radioactive minerals above specified levels are a health concern. In some areas the concentrations of these minerals exceed the drinking water standards for radioactivity. Radionuclides exist throughout Massachusetts. Wells that derive water from sand and gravel deposits, also known as dug or point wells (shallow wells), generally have substantially lower concentrations or no dissolved radionuclide content. Radon gas is produced from the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium and radium.īedrock wells (often called artesian or drilled) may contain elevated concentrations of one or more radionuclides even if other nearby bedrock wells have low concentrations. The principal radionuclides that we are concerned about are radium, uranium, and radon gas. Radionuclides can dissolve easily in water. As ground water moves through fractures in bedrock that contains the mineral deposits, radioactive minerals can leach out into the groundwater system. Radionuclides are naturally-occurring radioactive minerals that are occasionally present in bedrock, along with other minerals such as iron, arsenic, calcium, and silica.

Radium water