LEBANON — Wells in portions of Canaan and Enfield have a high chance of containing unsafe levels of radon, a radioactive gas, according to a new study from the United States Geological Survey. Areas of Hanover and Lebanon are also at an elevated risk, too.

Radon, which is naturally occurring, has no taste, smell or color. Breathing radon for an extended period of time raises the risk of lung cancer.

While the public water supply is regulated, testing a private well is the responsibility of its owner, and unless a well is tested, there is no way to know if radon is present.

Lebanon Assistant Director of Public Works Jay Cairelli recommends private well owners in the area to use at home test kits, which can be purchased online for between $20 and $40.

“Homeowners can follow the instructions, take the sample themselves, ship them to the lab for analysis — included in the cost of the test kit — and the results will be mailed back to them,” Cairelli said. “For anyone buying a new home with a private well, these tests should be run as part of the inspection process since the treatment systems can be costly.”

About 40% of New Hampshire residences are reliant on private wells, which source from groundwater, and state health officials recommend testing both well water and indoor air for radon.

Although the health risk from radon in water is much lower than radon in air, well water with high levels of radon increases the chance the gas could released into the air through the plumbing system.

In parts of Canaan, Enfield, Hanover and Lebanon, wells have an 80-90% chance of containing levels of radon that exceed state and federal guidance. In comparison, the USGS study estimates that 55% of the Granite State is “more likely than not” to have elevated levels of radon in groundwater.

“Radon’s an animal all of its own,” said John Coffey, Canaan’s water and sewer operator. “It’s not consistent. One well will have it, and then the next one won’t. When you drill into the bedrock, that’s how you find it.”

It shows up especially in wells around Canaan Lake, Coffey said.

The USGS study, billed “the most comprehensive to date,” builds on one from 2004 but is the first to produce statewide maps at detail to show the probability for any location in New Hampshire to have groundwater containing elevated concentrations of radon.

“We knew that there were high levels in spot locations, but this study showed that a large percentage of the state exceeds that high level of concern,” said Richard Moore, a USGS hydrologist and the lead author of the new study.

Radon is normally associated with granite, and occurs as a result from the natural decay of uranium in the rock.

“So I suppose this shouldn’t have been a surprise in New Hampshire,” Moore said.

The Hanover-Lebanon-Enfield area is built atop a granite formation, and the maps generated by the USGS study show increased levels of the gas in other areas with high concentrations of granite, like the White Mountains.

“But you can’t be fooled by the maps,” said Brandon Kernen, administrator of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Service’s Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau. Based on the high probability that more than half of the state has enhanced radon levels, Kernen recommends testing regardless of whether you’re in a hotspot.

Kernen directs private well owners to the department’s “NH Be Well Informed” website, which has information about testing, including what contaminants should be tested for, and what commercial or public labs can provide the necessary services.

If a well owner does test their well, they can do so for a whole suite of contaminants at once.

A tool on the website can process the results and “it can tell you what values are of concern and what treatment options are out there, and even what order the treatment should be done in,” Kernen said.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends taking action to reduce radon in homes that have an airborne radon level at or above 4 picocuries per liter, which is a unit used to measure radon levels. The current recommendation in New Hampshire is to consider reducing radon in water when the level is above 2,000 picocuries per liter.

“There aren’t enforceable standards for radon, but it’s probably one of the more concerning naturally occurring contaminants, and that’s why there’s all this research into it,” Kernen said.

“Guidance shouldn’t be mistaken for just a recommendation. It is a significant health concern. Those are pretty meaningful values that should be taken seriously to protect yourself and your family.”

More information about radon and radon testing in New Hampshire can be found at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/42aef23v.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Service’s well testing program can be contacted at 603-271-2513 or dwgbinfo@des.nh.gov.

Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at fmize@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.

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