Invitation to Attend "Impact of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Water on Your Carbon Filters" Seminar

You are invited to a free educational seminar on how treating drinking water with naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) can lead to activated carbon landfill disposal problems in as little as 7 months.

The seminar will be held March 6 at 9:00 AM at the Res-Kem-Aston, PA facility.

Register Now!

Why should you attend?

If your company uses activated carbon for the treatment of private well ground water for your plant's needs, remediation of ground water for VOC contamination, sulfur removal, radon reduction, this seminar has critical information that may impact the way you conduct your carbon exchange program.


Do you have is this problem? It depends.  There is a rock formation found in the region from central Pennsylvania through New England. Carbon filters can "Technically Enhance" the naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) to a level exceeding landfill allowable radiation levels.

Topographical Map of Pennsylvania Showing Rock Formations

Who is presenting?
This will be about a 1.5 hour, informative, interactive presentation from:

• Richard Croll - Radiation Health Physicist
• Jennifer Noll - Pennsylvania DEP
• Stephanie Carr - Calgon Carbon

Need more information?
Contact Michael Urbans
For directions to our plant in Aston, PA and agenda
Call 800-323-1983 or email

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material in Your Water

NORM means Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material and TENORM stands for Technically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material.   The USEPA states "TENORM is produced when radionuclides that occur naturally in ores, soils, water, or other natural materials are concentrated or exposed to the environment by activities, such as uranium mining or sewage treatment."  Res-Kem sees the potential for TENORM in filters and softeners treating well water in areas where naturally occurring radioactive materials NORM are found.

As a result, Res-Kem will be adding an additional test before we replace media or particularly when entering tanks. We will bring instrumentation to test for TENORM radiation.  Unfortunately, if we detect radiation, we will have to button the system back up and depart.

Again on the USEPA's website "NORM consists primarily of material containing potassium-40 and isotopes belonging to the primordial series. The principal primordial radionuclides are isotopes of heavy elements belonging to the radioactive series headed by the three long-lived isotopes uranium-238 (uranium series), uranium-235 (actinium series), and thorium-232 (thorium series). ... At background concentrations, the naturally occurring radionuclides in the uranium, actinium, and thorium series contribute about one-half of the natural background external radiation, and over 80 percent of the background including radon, to which all humans are continuously exposed."
  From a Clean Harbors bulletin on the subject, typical sources of NORM and TENORM wastes include

• Oil and gas industry
• Geothermal energy production
• Coal combustion
• Mining of uranium and metals
• Phosphate production
• Municipal water treatment
• Abandoned mines and processing facilities
• General manufacturing