Radium is considered a class A carcinogen by the EPA and Iowa has some of the highest ground water radium concentrations in the U.S. In 1976 the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) set a maximum contaminant level for combined ²²⁶Radium and ²²⁸Radium at 5 pCi/L. However, the EPA does not specify time or location of sample collection for radionuclides. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources specifies only that the sample be representative of the water distribution system. Epidemiological studies have used ²²⁶Radium analyses of samples collected for SDWA compliance as a measure of exposure. However, radium-rich pipe-scale deposits found in water distribution systems are a potential source for radium enrichment of drinking water after it enters the distribution system. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine if dissolution and/or dislodgment of radium from pipe scale significantly increases radium concentrations at the point of use.