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What is Radon

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and naturally occurring radioactive gas produced from the decay of the element radium. Radium occurs naturally in rocky soil worldwide. Radon gas can dissolve in ground-water and later be released in the air during such normal household activities as showering, dish washing, and doing laundry. When radon accumulates in indoor air it can pose an increased health risk, primarily, lung cancer. Radon in water is extremely dangerous and the EPA estimates that in-home exposure to radon gas causes 20,000 cancer deaths annually.

RADON RISK FROM YOUR HOME’S WATER SUPPLY *

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has indicated that the inhalation of radon in air poses a much greater risk than radon in your water. It is always recommended that homeowners test their airborne radon in the home, as this presents the greater risk (see REDUCING HEALTH RISK below). There are no federal or state standards for radon in drinking water. However, there are public health advisories for radon in drinking water, including that issued by USEPA. NHDES recommends the following:  For private wells with radon concentrations at or above 10,000 pCi/L, the treatment of water is recommended in conjunction with mitigation of indoor air radon. Homeowners should consult with radon mitigation and water treatment providers.  For private wells with radon concentrations between 2,000 and 10,000 pCi/L, the treatment of water may be advisable if air concentrations in the home exceed 4 pCi/L.  When radon in well water is below 4,000 pCi/L, you should retest air and water every three to five years.

*Cited from the NH Environmental Fact Sheet on Radon

Arsenic in New Hampshire Well Water *

Private wells in New Hampshire have about a 25% probability of containing naturally occurring arsenic above 5 micrograms per liter (ug/L) or 5 parts per billion (ppb). In addition, due to our highly fractured bedrock, even wells within short distances can present very different water quality. Arsenic in water has no color, taste or odor, even when present at elevated levels. Therefore, the only way to determine the arsenic level in your well water is by testing.

Arsenic is a semi-metal element in the periodic table. It is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices.

Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil, water, air, and plants and animals. Arsenic gets into well water through natural erosion. As ground water flows through rocks and soil that contain arsenic, some of the arsenic

dissolves into the water. It can be further released into the environment through natural activities such as volcanic action, erosion of rocks and forest fires, or through human actions.

HEALTH EFFECTS *

Studies have shown that chronic or repeated ingestion of water with arsenic over a person’s lifetime is associated with increased risk of cancer of the skin, bladder, lung, kidney, nasal passages, liver or prostate, and non-cancerous effects such as diabetes, cardiovascular, immunological and neurological disorders. The same studies found that dermal absorption (skin exposure) of arsenic is not a significant exposure path; therefore, washing and bathing do not pose a known risk to human health (EPA 2001a, 2003a). Recent research in New Hampshire and elsewhere has found that exposure to arsenic in well water is associated with adverse birth outcomes, gestational diabetes and increased infections during the first year of life (NHDES, 2018). Additional information on health effects, including potential effects on childhood IQ, can be found in the NHDES fact sheet “Arsenic Health Effects Summary” and in NHDES’ report, “Review of the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) and AGQS for Arsenic.”

On January 22, 2001 EPA adopted a new standard for arsenic in drinking water at 10 parts per billion (ppb), replacing the old standard of 50 ppb. The rule became effective on February 22, 2002. The date by which systems must comply with the new 10 ppb standard is January 23, 2006. EPA has set the arsenic standard for drinking water at .010 parts per million (10 parts per billion) to protect consumers served by public water systems from the effects of long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic. Water systems must comply with this standard by January 23, 2006, providing additional protection to an estimated 13 million Americans.

HEALTH STANDARDS

From 1975 until 2001, the federal maximum contaminant limit (MCL) for arsenic in water supplied by public water systems was 50 ppb because the health effects of exposure to lower concentrations were not recognized in the U.S. However, a review of the information on arsenic’s health effects in January 2001 resulted in EPA’s establishing a goal of zero arsenic in drinking water. At the same time, EPA adopted an enforceable MCL of 10 ppb (0.010 mg/L) based on balancing treatment costs in public water systems with public health benefits. In 2019, based on the most recent information on health effects and treatment costs (NHDES 2018), the legislature directed the NHDES to establish a state arsenic MCL of 5.0 ppb (0.0050 mg/L), which will take effect in July 2021.

*Cited from the NH Environmental Fact Sheet on Arsenic

Bacteria Removal

It’s a good idea to test your drinking, particularly if you rely upon surface water (which dug wells and shallow points contain). We believe the best solution for water bacteria is to eliminate it at the source by drilling a gravel/screen or Artesian well. Water in drilled wells is filtered naturally by underground rocks and therefore not nearly as likely to contain bacteria. Dug wells can be chlorinated, however this is a temporary solution. Ultraviolet UV filters are best for removing bacteria, however other filters are usually needed to remove particles in the water in order for UV systems to work.

Fluoride in your drinking water?

Fluoride occurs naturally in New Hampshire's bedrock. As such, it is frequently present in water samples taken from bedrock (artesian, drilled) wells. Fluoride is seen at high concentrations in bedrock wells in the Mt. Washington-Saco River Valley area, Wolfeboro through Franconia Notch and immediately west of Concord. In the remainder of New Hampshire, high fluoride concentrations occur more irregularly. Fluoride has no taste, color or odor and thus the only way to determine its concentration is by laboratory analysis. In dug wells that are excavated into sand and gravel, the fluoride level is generally low (<0.2 mg/L) and would not be expected to exceed 2 mg/L.

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Health Affects:

The biggest fluoride side effect you can expect here is the threat of fluorosis. This is a condition wherein the enamel of the tooth changes drastically because of the abundance of fluoride in the body. You won’t notice it on the teeth that are already present in your mouth. It affects the teeth that are about to grow. That is why fluorosis is considered as a medical condition that affects children.

With fluorosis, the developing teeth come out discolored, with irremovable stains of yellow and brown. No matter how many times you brush, the stains are still there. So if you’re looking for reasons to make fluoride bad for you, this is one of them.

If you just intake fluoride from toothpaste, the dangers of fluoride don’t enter your bloodstream. This sets to rest any fears of people askin, “Is fluoride toxic?” if they just get it through toothpaste. It just stays on your teeth after you spit it out. That’s where it’s supposed to be.

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If you let it enter your bloodstream, your body has very little use for it and you become susceptible to fluoride side effects. Think of it as consuming pimple cream with phosphate fluoride. It’s meant for your face and not your stomach. Fortunately, your kidneys work to get rid of the fluoride danger stuck in your body. But there’s a limit to what they can do. It can get rid of about half the amount you ingest after a few days. But if you consumer more fluoride than what your kidneys can take care of, that’s when the risk of fluorosis enters. There is even evidence that it can affect our thyroid gland.

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Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (conjugate base perfluorooctanoate)

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (conjugate base perfluorooctanoate), also known as C8, is a syntheticperfluorinated carboxylic acid and fluorosurfactant. One industrial application is as a surfactant in the emulsion polymerization of fluoropolymers. It has been used in the manufacture of such prominent consumer goods aspolytetrafluoroethylene (commercially known as Teflon). PFOA has been manufactured since the 1940s in industrial quantities.[6] It is also formed by the degradation of precursors such as some fluorotelomers.

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Health Affects:

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PFOA is a carcinogen, a liver toxicant, a developmental toxicant, and an immune system toxicant, and also exerts hormonal effects including alteration of thyroid hormone levels.

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Water contaminated with PFOA, blood levels are approximately 100 times higher than drinking water levels.

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On May 25, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established drinking water health advisories for PFOA and PFOS. The lifetime health advisories and health effects support documents to to assist federal, state, tribal, and local officials and managers of drinking water systems in protecting public health when these chemicals are present in drinking water. The levels of PFOS and PFOA concentrations under which adverse health effects are not anticipated to occur over a lifetime of exposure are 0.07 parts per billion (70 parts per trillion)

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Uranium:

Uranium is a naturally occurring element in groundwater and is more common in some of the mountain areas of the state. However, there is little information on where uranium may be found. Uranium gets into drinking water when groundwater dissolves minerals that contain uranium. The amount of uranium in well water will vary depending upon its concentration in bedrock. However, even within areas that have bedrock types containing uranium, there is a large degree of variation within relatively small areas. Levels of naturally occurring radiation in water are not likely to be high in shallow wells. The potential exists for deep bedrock wells in New Hampshire and Maine to have uranium, although most will be very low. High levels of uranium indicate the potential for radon and radium also to be present

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Health Affects:

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Naturally occurring uranium has very low levels of radioactivity. The most common ways for uranium to enter your body are through your food and drinking water. Uranium exposure can damage your kidneys.