Radium (226 + 228) in well water
Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive metal in bedrock. It accumulates in bone and raises the risk of bone cancer. It occurs in the same granite areas as uranium and radon.
- EPA limit
- 5 pCi/L (EPA MCL combined radium-226 and radium-228 (40 CFR 141.66))
Check your radium (226 + 228) number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your own well for radium (226 + 228)
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove radium (226 + 228)
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For radium (226 + 228)
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
By individual samples
Counties with at least 30 individual samples in public monitoring data, against the EPA limit.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy County, New Mexico | 65 | 94% | 17 pCi/L | |
| Jefferson County, Iowa | 34 | 97% | 2.3 pCi/L | |
| Henry County, Iowa | 49 | 98% | 4 pCi/L | |
| Sarasota County, Florida | 179 | 100% | 3.6 pCi/L | |
| Marion County, Iowa | 42 | 93% | 3 pCi/L | |
| Wapello County, Iowa | 30 | 73% | 2 pCi/L | |
| Palo Alto County, Iowa | 54 | 78% | 3.5 pCi/L | |
| Emmet County, Iowa | 71 | 59% | 0.7 pCi/L | |
| Des Moines County, Iowa | 35 | 80% | 2 pCi/L | |
| Anne Arundel County, Maryland | 183 | 68% | 1.67 pCi/L | |
| Jefferson County, Montana | 81 | 96% | 1.45 pCi/L | |
| Lancaster County, Pennsylvania | 104 | 85% | 1.4 pCi/L | |
| Washington County, Rhode Island | 36 | 67% | 0.04 pCi/L | |
| Chester County, Pennsylvania | 311 | 69% | 0.78 pCi/L | |
| Lee County, Iowa | 34 | 82% | 1.25 pCi/L |
How to test
Use a state-certified lab and a proper sampling bottle; hardware-store strips cannot measure radium (226 + 228) at the levels that matter. Collect from the kitchen tap before any treatment, and again after treatment if you install it.
How to treat
- Water softener (cation exchange)
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis