There is something in the water in DeKalb and Sycamore, but the rumors already told you that.

Radium is the ingredient, and although it may sound dangerous, many experts say it is not at its current levels.

Yet the Environmental Protection Agency is so threatened by the presence of radium in rivers and other bodies of water throughout the nation that they demanded cities meet a new standard of five picocuries per liter in the water distributed to the public in 2003.

Sycamore will spend $1.3 million to set up a new water treatment facility in an effort to meet these federal radium standards. However, the standards, according to Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy, are “ultra-conservative.”

“It’s unfortunate that the federal level is five picocuries,” Mundy said. “It’s costing communities millions of dollars and is using public funds in a way that could be better placed.”

Radium is a natural element found in soil and water, and scientists have stated citizens do not have reason to be overly concerned with its presence in their drinking water.

“It’s all a matter of public perception. But no matter where you go, natural elements will be in the water,” said chemistry professor Narayan Hosmane. “Radiation level of radium is so low that it will not do any harm.”

Yet Sycamore is being forced to comply with these federal standards, and Sycamore citizen’s will be the ones paying for it. In the last two years Sycamore water fees have increased by a total of $114 per household to compensate for the increased cost in water treatment, said Sycamore City Manager Bill Nicklas.

Because of the demand to meet these “cautious” standards, as Hosmane said, Sycamore will pay $1.3 million to set up a new method of water treatment and then another $196,000 a year for maintenance of the water treatment facility, said Nicklas.

Water Remediation Technology of Colorado will provide the services to reduce the radium level, which is currently around seven pCi/L. A curie is the means for measuring radioactive material, and a picocurie is one-trillionth of a curie.

“The treatment process will not soften the water or discharge radium to the sanitary sewer, as in DeKalb,” said Nicklas. “Instead, Sycamore will install a Zeolite Z-88 system that will filter the pumped water. Every six months or so, the Zeolite medium will be removed and replaced,” he said.

The Zeolite treatment, a charcoal filtration process, is effective and not as expensive as the previous ion-exchange treatment, Nicklas said.

The city signed a 10-year contract with WRT to help facilitate the filtration of Sycamore water, but the $196,000 annual price tag could theoretically carry on as long as the standards remain the same.

Yet the concern for radium in drinking water remains an overstated issue, Hosmane said. There are plenty of concerns with public drinking water other than the presence of a natural element.

“If anyone throws household chemicals in sinks, or just the use of tile cleaner with bleach in the tub, I worry much more about that,” Hosmane said.

Another more prevalent concern citizens should have is the combination of calcium chalk in their water with toxic chemicals found in green fruits and vegetables, Hosmane said.

All green plants have natural toxin protection from insects and bugs called oxalates. “These oxalates combined with the calcium chalk found in water creates a dangerous compound called calcium-oxalate, which is not water soluble and very often results in kidney stones,” Hosmane added.

In the past radium has proven to be dangerous, but only when used in direct contact with human skin, Hosmane said. In Elgin during the 1950s, a watch factory produced glowing watches.

They would glow because they were emitting “nothing but radiation,” Hosmane said. The ones who bought and wore the watches were OK, “but those who had physical contact or even ingested the radium,” did eventually get cancer, he added.

The issue of measuring radium levels in drinking water goes back to the early 1970s when Congress passed the Clean Water Act which stated “no more than microscopic traces” of certain minerals were acceptable, which set the standard of 5 pCi/L. In the late-90s, different state branches of the EPA tracked radium levels and eventually determined that 5 pCi/L should be the standard, Nicklas said.

Multiple phone calls to the Environmental Protection Agency were not returned as of press time.

“To give the people security and piece of mind, keeping the picocuries low is not a bad idea,” Hosmane said. “But there is no real danger of consuming it in water. We are a product of chemicals, you can’t avoid that.”

Harmful Water Contaminants

Cryptosporidium – A parasite that enters lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. It can cause a mild gastrointestinal disease. The disease can be severe or fatal.

Giardia Lamblia – Also enters from lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. It can cause various stomach irregularities such as diarrhea, vomiting or cramps.

Combined Radium 226/228 – Some people who drink water containing radium 226 or 228 in excess of EPA’s standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Radon gas – A cancer-causing agent that can dissolve and accumulate in underground water sources, such as wells.

Arsenic – Some people who drink water containing the cancer-causing arsenic in excess of the EPA’s standard over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system.

Lead – It typically seeps into water from plumbing in older buildings. Lead pipes and plumbing fittings have been banned since August 1998.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/hfacts.html