Radon In Well Water Massachusetts

In 1988 the beh radiation control program and the epa conducted the massachusetts state radon survey.

Radon in well water massachusetts. There is currently no federal drinking water standard for radon. If you live in an area with high radon in groundwater it can get into your private well. Proposed radon in drinking water regulation radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that may cause cancer and may be found in drinking water and indoor air. In massachusetts it is estimated that 650 000 homes have radon levels that exceed the epa action guideline of 4 pci l.

Some people who are exposed to radon in drinking water may have increased risk of getting cancer over the course of their lifetime especially lung cancer. The massachusetts maximum contaminant levels mmcls listed in the drinking water regulations 310 cmr 22 00 consist of promulgated us epa mcls which have become effective plus a few mcls set specifically by massachusetts. Granular activated carbon this filter installs outside of your home and uses activated carbon to remove the radon from the water. Epa estimates that 628 radon related lung cancers occur annually in massachusetts.

It is capable of removing around 95 of the radon in the water making the water safe enough to use in your home. While there is also no state requirement to have your well water tested the massachusetts department of environmental protection massdep recommends that all homeowners with private wells do so and use a state certified testing laboratory. There are two main types of radon removal methods for well water. Approximately 34 000 homes in massachusetts have radon levels that exceed 20 pci l.

Showering washing dishes and laundering can disturb the water and release radon gas into the air you breathe. High levels of dissolved radon are found in the groundwater in some areas flowing through granite or granitic sand and gravel formations. They found that one in four homes in massachusetts has the potential to have indoor radon concentrations above the epa action level of 4 pci l. It is far less common to see radon in well water.