Radon in Water?!?

Radon in the air is a relatively well known phenomenon, but did you know that our other most vital resource, – water – can also be contaminated with radon?  In 1996 the U.S. government passed the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments to “establish several new, health-based drinking water regulations, including a multimedia approach to address the public health risks from radon.”

A subsequent report showed the findings of the 1994 assessment to be valid, reconfirming that there are lung cancer risks associated with drinking water.  The figures are surprising.  Though not as many deaths as are associated with radon in the air (20,000 deaths per year), there are an estimated 186 deaths per year as a result of radon in water.  Furthermore, 89% of these deaths are directly linked to, “breathing radon released by water” and 11% are from “stomach cancer caused by drinking radon-containing water”.  Though the figures are lower, radon in water is certainly something to be concerned about.

The EPA recommends that you call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 to find out additional information on this topic.  Also, if you haven’t yet tested for radon in your home, now is definitely the time to get a home radon test kit.