All About Radon in Water - What Is Radon and How to Remove Radon in Water

Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that has no color, smell, or taste. It can dissolve into water, posing a health issue for both private and public water supplies. In the United States, there are 30 to 1,800 deaths per year due to radon from household water.

In this article, we'll define what radon is, explain why you shouldn't drink or use water with radon, and provide recommendations for several water filters that will remove radon from water. Our primary goal is for you to have safe, clean drinking water to use throughout your home.

What is radon and how does it get into water?

Radon is a chemical element that is produced when uranium breaks down in soil, rock, and water. Breathing radon gas is the most common way people are exposed to this contaminant. However, radon can also be ingested by drinking water contaminated by it.

Water from underground sources (i.e., wells, springs, and boreholes) may contain radon, whereas surface sources (i.e., lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs) generally do not. Radon can even get into private wells. The presence of radon in groundwater depends on the surrounding rock and soil conditions. For example, groundwater that flows through granite, gravel formations, or granitic sand may have high levels of radon.

The US states with the largest number of people affected by radon in public water supplies are California, New York, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Missouri. Nearly 5 million people in these states use public water supplies reporting levels of radon above health guidelines. These figures apply to public water systems and do not include private wells or supplies.

Even if you don't drink water contaminated by radon, using it for showering, washing dishes, or doing laundry can disturb the water and release radon gas into the air you breathe. Most radon exposure occurs indoors in homes, schools, and workplaces. Radon gas becomes trapped inside buildings after it enters through cracks in the foundation, affecting indoor air quality worldwide.

Health Risks of Radon

Each year, there are 30 to 1,800 deaths in the United States due to radon from household water. Drinking water containing radon also presents a risk of developing internal organ cancers, such as stomach cancer. However, the health risks from ingesting radon in drinking water are smaller than the risks from inhaling radon gas.

Radon can cause cancer, with high concentrations of radon linked to lung cancer. Researchers and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate that radon causes 12,900 to 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States, making it the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.

There are synergistic effects of radon and smoking, meaning if you smoke and inhale radon, you're at a greater risk of lung cancer. Of the annual lung cancer deaths due to radon, about 2,900 occur in people who have never smoked.

Health Guidelines for Radon in Water

There are no national drinking water standards for radon. The Environmental Working Group suggests no more than 1.5 picocuries per liter for radon. This guideline represents a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer.

For values above this guideline, there is a greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level. If you know you have radon in your water or live in an area where radon is present, it is highly recommended that you use a water filter designed to reduce radon.

What water filters reduce radon in water?

Activated carbon and reverse osmosis are filter technologies that reduce radon in water. For radon, the most comprehensive water filtration solution we recommend is the Premiere PS-2000PB + HydroGuard Reverse Osmosis system.

• PS-2000PB is a 0.02 micron ultrafiltration membrane with an activated carbon post-filter for lead, chemicals, and heavy metals
• HydroGuard reverse osmosis removes up to 99% of contaminants, providing pure, safe drinking water

Whole house water filters that reduce radon

PS-2000PB - Ultrafiltration membrane + activated carbon post-filter

The 0.02 micron ultrafiltration membrane filters out particulates like bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and colloidal materials on a microscopic level. It provides excellent VOC and chemical contaminant reduction, including pesticides, benzene, radon, solvents, trihalomethane compounds (THMs), methane tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and other man-made chemicals.

A unique feature allows you to easily remove or loosen foulants from the membrane when it becomes full—just turn a valve to purge the membrane.

BG-20PB - Activated carbon

This system offers 0.5 micron nominal filtration that reduces lead (soluble and particulate), chlorine, chloramine, cysts, cryptosporidium, giardia, entamoeba, toxoplasma, VOCs, sediment, pesticides, benzene, radon, solvents, trihalomethane compounds (THMs), and more.

It has a high dirt-holding capacity and offers significant reduction in contaminants, including:

• 96%+ reduction of lead (8.5 pH)
• 95%+ reduction of VOCs
• 90%+ reduction in chlorine at 2 ppm
• 83%+ reduction in chloramine at 3 ppm

Drinking water filters that reduce radon

PS-PURUF (with fluoride reduction filter option) - Ultrafiltration membrane + activated carbon post-filters

The 0.02 micron ultrafiltration membrane filters out particulates, including bacteria, protozoa, cysts, viruses, algae, dirt, mold, silt, and more. It also reduces lead particulates, and the 0.5 micron activated carbon filter reduces VOCs, chlorine, chloramines, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other contaminants.

The bone char carbon filter option is highly effective for reducing fluoride, arsenic, chlorine, lead, cadmium, mercury, and radionuclides from water.

PS-SQC50 - HydroGuard Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis provides pure, clean water by removing virtually everything in the water, including radon. It eliminates up to 99% of dissolved solids, chlorine, fluoride, microorganisms, and heavy metals such as barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury.

The system includes the FLOWLOK™ leak detector shut-off valve, which silently guards against water leaks by detecting water and shutting off the system. The SHOKBLOK™ system protection valve helps protect the system from water hammer and spikes in water pressure.

Curious about the differences between ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis? Read this article to compare these filtration technologies.