Radon in Private Well Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Surgeon General urge all Americans to protect their health by testing their homes, schools and other buildings for radon. This is important as the EPA reports that although there are no immediate symptoms from exposure to radon, exposure in the indoor air over time is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States alone.
While many people are aware that radon is a radioactive gas and it can enter a home or building through the ground to the air above through cracks and other holes in the foundation, far fewer know that radon can sometimes enter a building through private well water. This is due to the fact that radon can dissolve into the water supply according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC states, “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. High levels of dissolved radon are found in the groundwater in some areas flowing through granite or granitic sand and gravel formations. If you live in an area with high radon in groundwater it can get into your private well. Showering, washing dishes and laundering can disturb the water and release radon gas into the air you breathe.”
The good news is exposure to radon is a preventable health risk and testing for radon in air or water can help prevent unnecessary exposure. If a high radon level is detected, there are steps that can be taken to fix the problem to protect building occupants. For radon in water issues, the CDC recommends removing it from private well water by either of the two following methods. They include:
• Aeration treatment – spraying water or mixing it with air and then venting the air from the water before use, or
• GAC treatment – filtering water through granular activated carbon. Radon attaches to the carbon and leaves the water free of radon.
The CDC also states that in either treatment, it is important to treat the water where it enters the home (point-of-entry device) so that all the water is treated. Point-of-use devices, such as those installed on a tap or under the sink, will only treat a small portion of the water and are not effective.
These are just a few things to know about exposure risks from radon in water. To learn more about radon and air or water testing services, or other environmental, health and safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark https://www.csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. https://www.emsl.com
LA Testing https://www.latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental https://www.zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine https://www.healthyindoors.com