通过综合有关饮用水中氡的发生、迁移、暴露和健康影响的信息，据估计，在70年的时间里（美国的平均寿命），有2000至40000例肺癌死亡是由吸入美国公共供水中释放的天然氡引起的。这些水源中的氡平均浓度会产生约1/10000的终生风险，这是目前《安全饮用水法》规定的任何污染物的最高风险水平。降低饮用水中的氡水平，这将大大降低健康风险，已被发现通过曝气或用颗粒活性炭处理是可行的。包括22个参考文献、表格和图表。

By combining information about the occurrence, transport, exposure, and health effects of radon in drinking water, it has been estimated that over a period of 70 years (the average lifetime in the United States), between 2000 and 40,000 lung cancer fatalities are caused by inhalation of natural radon released from US public water supplies. The average concentration of radon in these water supplies generates a lifetime risk of about 1 in 10,000, the highest level of risk allowed for any contaminant currently regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Reducing the levels of radon in drinking water, which would significantly lessen the risks to health, has been found to be feasible by either aeration or treatment with granular activated carbon. Includes 22 references, tables, figures.