The testing process for radium in water begins with a screening for total alpha particle activity. If total alpha activity is elevated, further testing for radium is conducted. Radium samples from public water supplies are taken quarterly, tested by the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety, and averaged over a one- year period. Radium in water may pose a hazard to human health when the water is used for drinking. The rest is excreted unchanged from the gut.
Some absorbed radium is excreted in urine.
The remaining radium behaves similarly to calcium and is deposited in the tissues of the body, especially bone. The radiation received externally through showering, washing, or other uses of radium-containing water is insignificant since the skin blocks the alpha radiation. Internally deposited radium emits radiation as alpha particles that may then damage tissues found within the surrounding few millimeters. Radium is not known to cause adverse health effects at levels generally encountered in drinking water, diet, or the environment. However, studies of workers exposed to high levels of radium and other sources of alpha radiation for extended periods show that high levels of radium may cause depression of the immune system, anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, and some types of cancer.