Gross alpha is a measure of natural radioactivity in water from eroded rock, mostly radium and uranium. It is a screening measure for radioactive contamination.
In Florida, Gross Alpha Emitters was reported by 429 community water systems serving about 2,286,825 people. 8 of those readings were above the federal legal limit, together serving 6,037 people. It was measured by 1,559 systems in all, so it was detected in 28% of the systems that tested for it.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Oak Park Mobile Home Village in Lee County, at 782% of it.
Where it comes from: Erosion of natural deposits.
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
California has not published a PHG for this substance.
Health effects the EPA associates with it: May increase the risk of cancer.
Water at or under the legal limit meets federal safety standards. A reading above a health goal is not the same as being unsafe, and health goals are set purely on health without regard to cost or treatability. Both are shown so the margin is visible either way.
Showing the 25 highest of 429 systems that reported Gross Alpha Emitters.
These figures describe water as delivered by each utility, not what your home’s plumbing adds after it arrives. Informational; not a substitute for testing your own tap.