Answer to Question #5925 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

What is the difference between radon and radium, particularly in water. Is it one and the same? With radon in the water, at what level should you be worried and what type of system can eliminate or lower the radon level?

Radium is a radioactive metal discovered by Marie Curie that occurs naturally in trace amounts in the earth's crust and in the ocean and fresh waters in lakes, rivers, and streams. When radium decays, the resultant product is the radioactive chemically inert gas radon. So radium produces radon as a result of radioactive decay—they are different elements but are normally found together. The Environmental Protection Agency and various states have established limits for both radium and radon in drinking water, and public water supplies are tested to ensure that these limits are not exceeded. If you are using water from a public water supply, there is no need for concern. Some natural waters obtained from private wells may have higher-than-desirable levels of radium or radon, and if testing reveals this to be the case, there are a number of ways in which the levels can be reduced, including special filtration systems to remove the radium and radium.  

Ron Kathren, CHP