Radon in Our Water?

Radon in our Water?

 

One of the challenges that we faced in selling our home is that during the home inspection they did a water test and found radon in our water. We had never given a thought to radon in water before. We had done an expensive water test four years ago and all the numbers were just fine. The new owners were concerned about radon in the water and wanted the problem fixed.

 

What is Radon?

 

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that may cause cancer, and may be found in drinking water and indoor air. 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 first thing we did was to take a second water sample. The results came in much lower but were still above what Vermont recommended. At present there is no federal standard for radon in drinking water. Such a standard is known as a maximum contaminant level (MCL). However, the MassDEP Office of Research and Standards has developed a guideline of 10,000pCi/L for radon in drinking water. If we lived in New Hampshire our numbers would be fine as they agree with the MassDEP guideline, however Vermont has a much lower value (4000pCi/L and we needed to have the problem corrected. Our numbers came in at 6000pCi/L

 

The more we learned about radon in our water the more interesting it was. One of the problems with understanding the amount of risk due to specific radon level measurement is that the risk statistics are based on an average lifetime (70 years) spent in an exposed area, even though the average American moves every 7 years, and is thus exposed to many different radon levels.

 

There is no certification required for installing remediation devises. We found several companies online and after reading numerous reviews chose A&B Water LLC to install the device. There are two ways to fix the problem, the most popular is the aeration treatment – the water is sprayed or mixed with air and then the air is vented from the water before use. The second method is called a GAC treatment; the water is filtered through a granular activated carbon. Radon attaches to the carbon and leaves the water free from radon. The problem with this method is that you end up with a filter full of radioactive waste.

 

The Solution

 

We chose the aeration treatment. A large device that looks like a washing machine was installed in our furnace room. The water comes in from our well goes through this machine and then we can drink the water. It was an expensive fix and I’m not sure we would have done it if we were staying in the house. However, it solved the radon in the water issue.

 

If you are concerned that you may have radon in your water the total cost for a water test is under $100. In less than a week you will know what the levels of radon are in you water.