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TagsBY JOE TYRRELL
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Radioactivity in drinking water is more widespread in New Jersey than previously reported, according to well-testing data and a state report.
More than one-third of private wells tested in some South Jersey communities exceed recommended levels of radiological contaminants. In Mantua in Gloucester County, the figure was 100 percent.
The state Department of Environmental Protection compiled the data from 2002-2007, the first five years of the state Private Well Testing Act. That requires well analyses as part of real-estate sales.
In the coastal plan, an average of 10.7 percent of private wells exceeded the standards, according to the DEP numbers.
Last year, DEP's Drinking Water Quality Institute proposed radon regulations be extended beyond the current standards for indoor air quality. While air represents the riskiest exposure, radon in water also contributes to the hazard, according to the report."The health risks from radon in New Jersey's groundwater are greater than the health risks from most chemical contaminants," according to the DWQI, which at the time was chaired by Mark Robson.
The report recommended the state set a maximum radon standard of 800 picocuries per liter for community and private water systems. At lifetime exposure, this translates into five more cancer deaths per 10,000 population, according to the report.
The report estimated more than 211,000 New Jerseyans are currently subjected to that level of risk. More than 1.1 million have some level of exposure, according to the report.
Radon is a naturally occurring element that arises from the radioactive decay of uranium, and is odorless and tasteless. Radium is an earth element that occurs in traces in uranium. All can contribute to radioactivity levels.
The study highlighted some newly identified risks from uranium in North Jersey. Noting the approach to treat water with traces of uranium differs from than for radium, the study recommended adding tests for both to North Jersey wells.
But an environmental group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said the state has done little with the information or the recommendations.
"The state should not be sitting on this information," said Bill Wolfe, a former DEP official who is the group's New Jersey director. "Officials need to warn affected homeowners that they may need treatment systems or that they have the wrong systems."
DEP spokesman Larry Hajna rejected the suggestion that the agency has been sitting on the information. The report was part of an ongoing process, with information posted on the DEP website, while the private well data results from a state law, he said.
"We definitely know there's a problem," he said. "We're developing this information and working to protect the public."
He pointed to the report's cost-benefit analyses for various levels of stringency. The 800 picocurie standard would cost an estimated $404,103 per life saved.
Since the private well results occurring during property sales, "that was raw water," Hajna said. "So a number of these wells would have had treatment systems implemented."
Other communities with high numbers of wells failing the standards include Eaterford and Winslow in Camden County; Upper Deerfeild, Vineland, Hopewell and Deerfield in Cumberland; Franklin Township in Gloucester; Pittsgrove in Salem.
While the private well tests are required during property sales, further action is largely left to property owners.
"Ocean County does require system installation, but that's the only one," Hajna said. "It's not a statewide requirement."
Joe Tyrrell may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
