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Not health advice. Contact your local water utility for concerns.
Data from EPA Water Quality Reports. For official information, contact your water utility or health department.
Real EPA measurements of radium for District of Columbia water systems — Six-Year Review compliance samples 2012–2019 (historical). Methodology
We can't tell you from federal data yet. Our EPA dataset (SDWIS violations, the Six-Year Review, Lead and Copper Rule and UCMR 5 results) does not currently include any District of Columbia public water system, so this page has no District of Columbia city measurements or violation records for radium. That is a gap in our data, not evidence that District of Columbia water is free of radium — or that it contains any.
To find the real number for your tap, read your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (every community water system must publish one by July 1), or test your water with a certified lab if you are on a private well.
Every District of Columbia system with a radium result in EPA's data, sorted by level. Averages of 2012–2019 finished-water samples, non-detects counted as zero — historical, not today's tap.
No radium detections have been reported in District of Columbia cities.
Radium is a radioactive element that accumulates in bones and can cause bone cancer. Long-term exposure increases risk of bone cancer and may also increase risk of leukemia. Radium behaves similarly to calcium, so it deposits in bones and teeth where it continues to emit radiation, damaging bone marrow.
Erosion of natural deposits; found naturally in groundwater, especially in certain geologic formations
Based on our analysis of EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) data and local water utility reports,radium has been detected in 0 District of Columbia water systems.
The EPA MCL for combined radium-226 and radium-228 is 5 pCi/L. The EPA MCL for radium is 5 pCi/L. This limit is set to protect public health based on available scientific evidence about the contaminant's health effects.
0 District of Columbia cities have radium detected in their water supply. All tested cities are within EPA safety limits.
Increased risk of bone cancer and leukemia from long-term exposure. The most vulnerable groups include growing children and pregnant women.
The most effective methods for removing radium include Ion Exchange (Water Softening), Reverse Osmosis, Lime Softening. Look for filters certified by NSF/ANSI for radium reduction.
The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for radium is 5 pCi/L.The EPA MCL for combined radium-226 and radium-228 is 5 pCi/L.
This page shows what District of Columbia utilities reported for radium. It cannot tell you what is coming out of your own tap: utility samples are taken across a whole system and averaged, levels vary by address and season, and anything picked up after the water leaves the main never appears in their report.
Home water test kitscheck your own tap before buying any filterRecommended filtration methods for radium removal:
Very effective for radium
Removes 90-95% of radium
Used in municipal treatment
Paid links. We earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Filters are matched to the removal methods listed above for radium.