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Frequently asked questions about radium in drinking water:

   What is radium?

   Radium (Ra) is a naturally occurring radioactive element that is present in varying amounts in rocks and soil within the earth's crust. Small quantities of radium derived from these sources also can be found in ground water supplies. Radium can be present in several forms (isotopes). The most common isotopes in Illinois ground water are Ra-226 and Ra-228. The primary form of radiation emitted by radium is the alpha particle.

   Is radium in my water?

   Surface water is usually low in radium, but ground water can contain significant amounts of radium because of local geology. Deep bedrock aquifers used for drinking water sometimes contain levels of Ra-226 and Ra-228 that exceed regulatory standards. In Illinois, high radium levels occur primarily in the northern third of the state because of the presence of radium in the granite bedrock that surrounds aquifers from which water supplies are drawn. All public water supply wells are tested regularly for radium.

   Most of the private wells in Illinois draw their water from aquifers that are much shallower than those used by public water supplies. Most shallow aquifers do not contain significant amounts of radium. But radium has been found in some private and non-community public wells. Radium cannot be seen, tasted or smelled in your drinking water. Unless your water supply has been tested for radium, you should not assume your water is radium-free.

   The testing process for radium in water begins with a screening for total alpha particle activity. If total alpha activity is elevated, further testing for radium is conducted. Radium samples from public water supplies are taken quarterly, tested by the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety, and averaged over a one-year period.

   Is radium in water harmful to my health?

   Radium in water may pose a hazard to human health when the water is used for drinking. No more than 20 percent of the ingested radium is absorbed from the digestive tract and distributed throughout the body. The rest is excreted unchanged from the gut. Some absorbed radium is excreted in urine. The remaining radium behaves similarly to calcium and is deposited in the tissues of the body, especially bone. The radiation received externally through showering, washing, or other uses of radium-containing water is insignificant since the skin blocks the alpha radiation.

   Internally deposited radium emits radiation as alpha particles that may then damage tissues found within the surrounding few millimeters. Radium is not known to cause adverse health effects at levels generally encountered in drinking water, diet or the environment. But studies of workers exposed to high levels of radium and other sources of alpha radiation for extended periods show that high levels of radium might cause depression of the immune system, anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, and some types of cancer.

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health.