Because it decays, it usually takes the form of one isotope or another - Ra-226 and Ra-228 are two common isotopes of radium. This leads to improper replication and can cause cancer. When these bundles of energy come into contact with human tissue, they can damage DNA. This means it has an unstable nucleus and naturally decays, emitting harmful alpha particles and gamma rays in the process. However, unlike other naturally occurring elements like potassium and carbon, radium is radioactive. Radium is an element that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. Let’s begin by looking at exactly what radium is. In this article, we will answer these questions and also illustrate the radium problem with some background and statistics.
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It hydrates your cells, flushes out toxins and leaves your body rejuvenated. During that same period of time, there were 127 instances in community water systems, where the maximum radium concentration exceed the standard.Drinking pure water is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body.
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In New Jersey between 20, there were only 36 occurrences wherein the mean radium concentration in community water systems exceeded the MCL. Specific drinking water standards have not been established for radium 224 or other alpha emitters. The MCL for combined radium 226 and 228 is 5 pCi/l. The MCL is a maximum permissible level of a contaminant that ensures the safety of the water over a lifetime of consumption and also takes into consideration feasible treatment technologies and monitoring capabilities. Environmental Protection Agency has established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for combined radium 226 and 228 and for gross alpha radiation in drinking water. A complete list of the regulated contaminants and the maximum permissible concentrations allowed in drinking water are listed on NJDEP's website at: Test results are compared to standards for drinking water quality called maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in public drinking water based on information on health effects, treatment, analytical methods and contaminant occurrence. How Are We Doing?In order to determine the quality of water provided by community water supplies in New Jersey, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) require mandatory, regular monitoring of treated water delivered to the public. This means that if 10,000 people were to consume two liters of this water per day for 50 years, one additional fatal cancer would be estimated among the 10,000 exposed individuals. EPA estimates that the additional lifetime risks associated with drinking water containing 5 pCi/l is about 1 in 10,000. Studies of workers who ingested high levels of radium from occupational activities have shown it to cause bone cancer. When swallowed, a small amount of radium attaches to bones, but most of the radium will leave the body naturally in feces or urine. In the body, radium acts much like calcium.
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Radium like other elements of the earth's crust naturally enters the body through drinking water and food. The various forms of naturally occurring radium found in groundwater are radium 224, 226, and 228. Radium readily dissolves in groundwater where acid conditions (low pH levels) are found. This energy is part of the natural radiation to which all living creatures are exposed. As radium decays, it continually releases energy into the environment until a stable, nonradioactive substance is formed. Radium is a radioactive metal that occurs naturally in trace amounts in rocks, soils, and ground water.