When you wash your hands, heat the kettle for a cup of tea, turn on the dishwasher, or fill up the tub for a bath, you use more water than you probably realize. It’s something we often take for granted, and you may take for granted the safety of your water. However, you might not realize that you could be exposing yourself and your family to dangerous levels of radon through your water system.
Fortunately, Atlantic Blue Water Center can provide expert water testing for radon in your home. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that comes from the naturally occurring decay of uranium in the ground, and it’s harmless at trace levels.
Radon testing is the only way to know if you have an unhealthy level of radon in your water. Reducing radon levels in your home can prevent serious health complications down the road, such as lung cancer and stomach cancer.
How Does Radon Enter the Home?
Radon can enter the home in one of three ways:
- Soil beneath the home: As a gas, radon can enter your home through cracks and crevices in the foundation or flooring. Once trapped in your house, it can build up over time, leading to dangerous living conditions. Even if you have a new home or no basement, radon can still enter your space and cause health problems.
- Building materials: While less common, radon may be present in certain building materials that contain uranium, such as granite countertops.
- Drinking water: As radon dissolves, it can build up in your underground water sources, like a well. Whenever you turn on the water in your home, whether in the shower, kitchen sink, or running the dishwasher, radon levels in the air increase as well.
A radon test can save you from exposure to unhealthy amounts of radon if you buy a new home or plan on moving into a new house. Even if you have lived in the same home for several years, it doesn’t hurt to test your water for radon. You may never have had this problem before, but testing for radon gives you peace of mind, knowing your family is safe.
What Does Radon in the Water Mean?
Radon in your drinking water presents a danger to you if you consume radioactive gaseous uranium particles. While not all water contains radon, it’s a risk for any home that uses groundwater as the primary water source. If you rely on a well, private well, or aquifer, call Atlantic Blue Water Center to schedule a water test.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and some states have recommended standards for radon levels in drinking water, ranging from 300 to 10,000 pCi/L. While no federally-enforced regulations exist for radon levels in drinking water, we strongly recommend that you test your water.
Discovering dangerous levels of radon in your water may scare you, but you’ll be glad you took the time to test your water before you experienced the adverse effects of radon. In addition to testing your water for radon, we can check for other contaminants such as heavy metals, forever chemicals, or nitrates.
Water testing can save you and your loved ones from exposure to dangerous levels of radon. Detecting radon as early as possible means you keep your home healthy and maintain your family’s safety and well-being for years to come.
How Harmful Is Radon in Water?
After smoking tobacco, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Due to the direct link between radon and lung cancer, smokers who live in environments with elevated radon levels have an even higher risk of developing these health problems. Additionally, radon in drinking water can increase your risk of stomach cancer if you ingest it.
How Can I Reduce Radon in My Water?
If you found that your home’s water has elevated radon levels, your next step is to reduce the radon in the water before it enters your home. With Atlantic Blue Water Center, we can help you set up a system in your home that will prevent radon from entering through the water.
Aeration treatment and GAC treatment can help filter radon out of your water using different methods. We can determine which course of action works best for your home and install the most effective water treatment measures for your home.
Contact Atlantic Blue Water Center Today
If you want peace of mind when it comes to the water in your home, contact Atlantic Blue Water Center. Our expert water team will answer your questions and walk you through the best options for you and your home.
We offer a water test using our state-of-the-art water testing laboratory, free of charge. Call us today at (410) 751-9200 and ask us about radon testing and treatment.