Date Published: 05/17/2007 [Source]
After more than two years of discussion and consideration, the Tualatin City Council has directed staff to move forward with a $1.85-million aquifer storage project and not to worry about the "pesky little radon" issue.
Despite talks in the past of concerns about radon poisoning in the shower or effects of long-term exposure to radon from drinking water, a majority of council members agreed that the benefits of a water storage well in the city far outweigh concerns about possible ill effects of radon in the drinking water.
Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless gas which is produced by the radioactive decay of uranium. But little research has been done on the effects of radon in ground water and currently no regulations exist to dictate safe or unsafe levels – though the EPA suggests levels should be lower than 4,000 pico curies per liter.