Radionuclide
Contamination
There
are two sources of radioactive contamination in drinking
water. The first is naturally occurring radionuclides
that are contained in the soil that water moves through.
Some areas in Florida are susceptible to contamination
from phosphate rich soils and rock. The second source of
radioactive contamination comes from man-made sources.
There is no known man-made contamination of drinking
water in Florida.
Radionuclides
found in drinking water are members of three radioactive
series, uranium, thorium, and actinium and include the
naturally occurring elements radium, uranium, and the
radioactive gas radon. These contaminants may cause
different types of biological damage. Radium concentrates
in the bones and can cause cancers. Uranium can cause
cancers in the bones and can have a toxic effect on
kidneys.
The
standards and rules governing radionuclides is currently
under revision by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Florida will adopt the new standards and rules
when issued by EPA.
Radioactive
Chemicals
Radionuclides
found in drinking water are members of three
radioactive series, uranium, thorium, and actinium and
include the naturally occurring elements radium, uranium,
and the radioactive gas radon. These contaminants may
cause different types of biological damage. Radium
concentrates in the bones and can cause cancers. Uranium
can cause cancers in the bones and can have a toxic
effect on kidneys.
The
Standard
1.
Naturally occurring radionuclides:
- Combined
radium-226 and radium-228: The Maximum Contaminant
Level is 5 picocurries per Liter
- Gross
alpha particle activity including radium-226 but
excluding radon and uranium: The Maximum
Contaminant Level is 15 picocurries per Liter
2. Man-made radionuclides:
- The
average annual concentration of beta particle and
photon radioactivity from man-made radionuclides in
drinking water shall not produce a total annual
exposure greater than 4 millirem/year.
- Except
for those radionuclides listed below, the
concentration of radionuclides in paragraph (a)
above shall be calculated on the basis of a 2 liter
per day drinking water intake using the 168-hour
data listed in "Maximum Permissible Body
Burdens and Maximum Permissible Concentration of
Radionuclides in Air or Water for Occupational
Exposure," NBS Handbook 69 as amended August
1963, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Average Annual Concentration Assumed to Produce an
Exposure of 4 millirem/year:
- Tritium in the total body - 20,000
pCi/L
- Strontium-90 in the bone marrow 8 pCi/L
2012 State of Florida