Radon in well water Bedford, NH

Radon in Well Water Removal Systems

As radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless element, the need for a water test is all the more critical. Radon is a radioactive gas which comes from the natural decay of uranium found in nearly all soils.  Radon gas releases from the water as it enters your home through faucets, showers, bathtubs and washing machines, etc.  Some very high levels have been detected in many private wells in town.  To remove radon in water, a properly designed system that agitates the gas out of the water then vents it safely to outside of the home is proven and effective approach.

Radon in water Bedford, NH

Radon in Water Filtration

Contaminant Guidelines, by State (as of 7/7/2022)

New Hampshire = 2,000                              Maine = 4,000                        ”                 ”

Rhode Island = 4,000           ”                 ”                   Massachusetts = 10,000 pico curries/liter

Any home may have a radon problem from such sources as:

1. Cracks in walls

2. Cracks in solid floors

3. Construction joints

4. Gaps in suspended floors

5. Gaps in service pipes

6. Spaces inside walls

7. In your water supply as gas is released into the air in the home.

Radon in well water in Bedford, nh

STUDIES, RISKS & OTHER CONCERNS

Radon is a Class A carcinogen and the second leading cause of lung cancer. The increased risk of developing lung cancer from radon is directly related to the concentration of radon and the length of time that a person is exposed to it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are between 5,000 and 30,000 radon-related lung cancer deaths each year. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.

Cigarette smokers have eight times the risk from radon as non-smokers.  Therefore, cigarette smokers in particular,  should keep their exposure to radon as low as possible.  If the home was tested in an infrequently used basement, it may have measured a radon level that is higher than the actual level you are exposed to, spending most of your time upstairs. People with young children should be more concerned with the possible consequences of radon exposure 20 years from now than someone in their late sixties or seventies. Families with a hereditary predisposition of cancer should be more concerned about radon exposure than families who don’t have any history of cancer.

Although no level of radon in water or air is considered absolutely safe, the USEPA action level for radon is 4.0 picocuries per liter of AIR (pCi/L). (pCi/l= picocuries per liter, the most common method of reporting radon levels. A pico Curie is 0.000,000,000,001 (one-trillionth) of a Curie, an international measurement unit of radioactivity. One pCi/l means that in one liter of air there will be 2.2 radioactive disintegrations each minute. For example, at 4 pCi/l there will be approximately 12,672 radioactive disintegrations in one liter of air, during a 24-hour period.)

The risk of developing lung cancer at 4.0 pCi/L in AIR is estimated at about 7 lung cancer deaths per 1000 persons, which is why the USEPA and IEMA recommend reducing your radon level if the concentration is 4.0 pCi/L or more.

TESTING FOR RADON IN WATER CAN BE TRICKY

There can be absolutely no air bubbles in the water sample container and the sample should be tested within 24 hours of the time the sample was pulled.  A water treatment professional can assist you in this process and also help you analyze the lab test results.  For more information on radon see the link at https://gov/private/wells/radon.

Radon remediation Bedford, NHRemove radon from water Bedford NH

 

H2O Care is an established, regional firm formed in 1989 for the testing, analyzing and correcting of water quality issues, servicing Southern NH & ME, Eastern MA & Northern RI. The company has been published multiple times in Water Technology Magazines – see link at h2ocare/pub. Reach us at [email protected] or 800-539-1100. 
Radon in water Bedford, NH

Radon in Water Solutions