It is very common for the radon concentrations in the water to be much larger than radon concentrations in the air. Many wells have been tested and found to contain levels greater than 10,000 pCi/L. Some wells, locally, have tested at more than 1,000,000 pCi/L.
ALL LEVELS ARE VERY TREATABLE.

If you're worried about the level of radon gas in your well water, it's best to become educated about:
1) The State's recommended treatment level for radon in water.
2) How radon enters the water in the first place.
3) How easily it can be removed from your water supply at the point of entry.

NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS ADOPTED A WATERBORNE RADON TREATMENT "INVESTIGATION" LEVEL OF 2,000 pCi/L.
This recommended standard mainly targets public water supplies, although it has also become the accepted standard for private well owners.
Other states will most likely be adopting a standard of 4,000 pCi/L.

Radon does not just enter the water as it passes through the gas underground, near your house. Radon, a "gas", is created from the breakdown of Radium, which is a "solid". For radon to become a soluble within the water that travels through the cracks in the bedrock, the water first has to come in contact with a RADIUM SOURCE that is in the process of breaking down into the radon gas. During this transformation, the radon atoms that are created, will either be catapulted out from the rock and into the water, or they will recoil back into the rock and not effect the water at all. The radium source, or sources do not even have to be in the close proximity of the well. Because well water is typically drawn from various channels in the bedrock, which originate from various distances, your water has the potential to pass through one or many radium sources. These sources can be many, many yards away from your well.
The radon, that is now in solution within the water, remains under pressure in the water until you break that pressure by turning on a faucet in your home.

Radon, is what you might call "AQUAPHOBIC".
It would rather be in the air than in the water, so, when you allow the pressurized water to flow from the faucet, the water now goes to atmospheric pressure and the gas is released into the air, similar to what happens to the "FIZZ" in a bottle of soda when it is opened for the first time.

As a rule of thumb, you can figure on a 10,000 to 1 water to air ratio, which means that for approximately every 10,000 pCi/L (picocurries per liter) of radon that is in the water, it will "offgas" approximately 1 pCi/L into the air, on average "thoughout the house". If you are using larger amounts of water in a small room (i.e. the shower or washing machine), the added water to airborne radon level ratios could be much greater than 10,000 to 1.0.

Whatever level of radon gas is released from the water into the air, will contribute to the level that may already exist in the air from a soil gas entry problem. If no soil gas entry problem exists, then you will be minimizing your breathable radon gas exposure in the air simply by treating the radon in water issue.

If basement radon levels are high, and there is a washing machine, shower or even a "backwashing" water softener or filter in the basement, make sure that the radon that reflected in the air test is indeed coming from soil gas entry and not from the water. Likewise if radon levels are higher on the first or second floors than they are in the basement. That is surely a red flag to check the well water's radon level for its possible contribution to the air.

GOOD MONEY COULD BE POORLY SPENT BY ATTACKING THE "WRONG" RADON ENTRY SOURCE.

You can learn more about the treatment methods for radon in water on other pages within our company site.