Uranium and Thorium in Water: Lehi’s Story and Lab Results

In 2021, I received a call from a customer named Lehi. For roughly two years, she said that showering was followed by a red, irritating rash that sometimes kept her at home until it settled. She had already sought medical advice and undergone testing, but she still did not have a clear explanation.

This article tells her story as it was reported to me and presents the documents connected with the case. It is not a medical diagnosis, and it does not prove that every rash after showering is caused by water. Skin symptoms can have many causes. Anyone with persistent or severe symptoms should speak with a qualified clinician.

How It All Started

Lehi’s main clue was consistency: the reaction appeared after showering. That did not establish the cause, but it justified looking beyond soap, cosmetics, and medication and examining the water and other environmental exposures.

She contacted a laboratory in Germany that evaluated biological and environmental samples. According to the report she supplied, uranium and thorium were detected in biological samples, together with other elements that required further investigation. The report should be read in full, including its units, reference ranges, sampling method, and limitations. A result from hair or blood cannot by itself identify the source of exposure.

View the laboratory report supplied for this case (PDF).

How Uranium and Thorium Can Reach Water

Uranium and thorium occur naturally in rock and soil. Depending on local geology and water chemistry, radionuclides can enter groundwater. Uranium is regulated in U.S. public drinking-water systems, while private well owners are generally responsible for testing their own water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains that natural radionuclides can occur in drinking-water sources. Their presence cannot be determined by taste, odor, color, or a general TDS meter. A certified laboratory test is required.

The Hunt for the Source

Lehi submitted samples from her environment, including water. According to the material provided to us, the investigation identified uranium in the water and prompted a treatment trial. That sequence is important: first test, then identify the treatment goal, and finally verify the result with a before-and-after laboratory comparison.

It would be inaccurate to say that the water result alone proved the cause of the rash or that showering was “poisoning” her. The case showed a correlation that deserved attention. Establishing medical causation requires clinical evaluation and evidence beyond a water test.

Independent Lab Results – Before and After Filtration

Keystone Laboratories in Iowa tested samples connected with the treatment trial:

• Before treatment: uranium reported at 0.003 ppm.
• After treatment: uranium reported as not detected, with a reporting limit below 0.001 ppm.

These results support uranium reduction for the specific samples, conditions, and system configuration tested. “Not detected” does not mean that the concentration was absolutely zero; it means it was below the laboratory’s stated reporting limit. The result should not be generalized to thorium, every radionuclide, every installation, or every water chemistry without equivalent test data.

The original before-and-after documents remain part of the page so readers can examine the reports directly.

What Homeowners Should Do

1. Identify the source. Public-water customers can review the utility’s annual report. Private well users should follow local testing guidance.
2. Use an accredited laboratory. Request the relevant radionuclide panel rather than relying on a general water-quality test.
3. Choose treatment for the measured contaminant. A micron rating by itself does not prove reduction of dissolved uranium or thorium.
4. Verify performance. Collect follow-up samples after installation and at the maintenance intervals recommended for the system.
5. Keep health and water conclusions separate. Water testing can document exposure conditions; a clinician evaluates symptoms and medical causation.

Why This Case Matters

Lehi’s story is valuable because it demonstrates a disciplined process: listen to the pattern, test the environment, avoid assumptions, and verify the treatment result. It is not evidence that every unexplained skin reaction comes from radionuclides, nor that one system solves every water problem.

For related information, read about radon in water and well-water contaminants.

Medical and technical note: this article is informational. Treatment selection should be based on accredited laboratory results, the exact system configuration, and qualified professional advice.