USE OF GRANULAR ACTIVATED CHARCOAL TO REDUCE WELL WATER RADIOACTIVITY

The USEPA recommends that radon in well water have a Maximum Contamination Level of 300 pCi/L, but well water in Virginia (and other east coast states) averages about 2,500 pCi/L. Tests of radon removal using tanks of activated charcoal have been conducted over several years to improve the removal protocol, so as to increase the magnitude and the duration of radon removal. It is now known that the best combination is 2-3 cubic feet of activated charcoal made using coconut shells. Using less charcoal of any kind, and using other commonly obtainable charcoals, all resulted in less removal and a shorter duration of removal. In the optimum arrangement, radioactivity is confined to the treatment tank for many years. Studies suggest that the remediation service, in terms of duration and percentage reduction, is more dependent on the purity of the water (amounts of iron, sulfur, sediment, etc,) than on the amount of dissolved radon.