Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.
Radon in well water limits.
Based on the potential for cancer the epa suggests that indoor air should not exceed 4 picocuries per liter pci l.
The radon in your water can enter the air in your home when you use water for household activities such as showering washing clothes and cooking.
Only about 1 2 percent of radon in the air comes from drinking water.
For every 10 000 picocuries per liter pci l of radon in your water it is estimated that 1 pci l is added to your radon in the air.
Some radon stays in the water.
For example a water well containing 2 000 pci l of radon would be expected to contribute 0 2 pci l to the indoor air radon concentration.
As required by the safe drinking water act epa has developed a proposed regulation to reduce radon in drinking water that has a multimedia mitigation option to reduce radon in indoor air.
Radon is a colorless odorless tasteless and invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water.
High levels of dissolved radon are found in the groundwater in some areas flowing through granite or granitic sand and gravel formations.
Radon in soil under homes is the biggest source of radon in indoor air and presents a greater risk of lung cancer than radon in drinking water.