Bladensburg, MD: High Radon Risk - Home Safety 83/100
1 ZIP code · 1 water system · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for Bladensburg: B.
This ZIP looks solid, with a few items worth a quick check.
Across Bladensburg, EPA monitoring data shows low violation rates and healthy safety margins - a pattern that places the city well above MD's average for drinking water compliance across recent reporting cycles.
How Bladensburg Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
What You Should Know About Bladensburg Water
- Homes built before 1986: 84% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $4,200 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 13.05 - above typical levels.
Who Supplies Your Water in Bladensburg
A single utility carries the primary residential water load in Bladensburg, MD - the dominant provider across 1 federally tracked system.
- B
Overview
We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Bladensburg, Maryland (population ~9,764), covering 1 community water system serving approximately 1,900,000 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.
The available EPA record reports 0 violations for 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for Bladensburg: B (83/100)
Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:
| Factor | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Water Quality | EPA violations and compliance history |
| PFAS MCL Screen | UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs |
| Radon Risk | EPA radon zone classification |
| Annual AQI | EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days |
Water Sources
Bladensburg water systems draw from: Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0000 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
- 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level
Radon Risk
Dominant radon zone: Zone 1 (High Risk)
The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.
Areas with No Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | System | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20710 | B | Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission | 1,900,000 |
All ZIP Codes in Bladensburg
- 20710 [B]
Data Sources
- Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
- Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
- Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.
Health Outcomes in Bladensburg
Source: CDC PLACES (County-level estimates). Water contamination can correlate with respiratory and chronic health conditions.
Compared to National Average
Vertical line = national average. ■ Above national · ■ Below national
Housing & Infrastructure in Bladensburg
With 84% of homes built before 1986, lead solder in plumbing is a potential concern. The EPA banned lead solder in 1986, but many older homes retain original plumbing.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).
Housing Age Profile
While newer cities carry lower aggregate plumbing risk from lead-era construction, Bladensburg sits firmly in the older category. The median build year of 1961 indicates that more than half the housing stock was built before 1986, when lead solder was still legally used in residential copper plumbing - and a substantial portion likely predates 1970, when lead pipes were still commonly installed for service lines. These two thresholds together define the elevated plumbing risk environment that older housing cities carry, independent of what the municipal water supply delivers to the meter.
Over half of homes in Bladensburg were built before 1986, when lead solder was banned. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.
Cost Context: What Remediation Means for Bladensburg Homeowners
At current valuations, Bladensburg falls in the moderate remediation-share tier - a level where treating this as a budgeted line item rather than an ad-hoc expense is the practical approach.
Remediation costs are moderate relative to home values in Bladensburg. The estimated $2,900–$6,300 range is manageable for most homeowners but still worth budgeting for. Home values are 22% below the Maryland average.
Lead Exposure Risk for Children in Bladensburg
Why children are most at risk: The CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.
Wherever 84% of local housing was built before solder rules changed - as is the case in Bladensburg - a faucet-level sample closes the gap that aggregate utility data cannot.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Historical NFIP Claim Context in Bladensburg
Historical NFIP data for Bladensburg contains 8 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $71,653. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 0% have an A- or V-family dominant rated zone recorded in those historical claims. This is not a complete current FEMA property-map inventory.
How flooding affects water quality: Flood events can introduce sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial chemicals into water supplies. Even after floodwaters recede, contamination can persist in wells and aging infrastructure. The <strong>$4,200</strong> remediation estimate shown here excludes flood insurance and is not derived from NFIP claim count.
Claim count does not establish current property risk. Check the exact address in FEMA's current map and obtain a property-specific insurance quote when relevant.
Source: historical FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim records. No current FEMA property-map designation is asserted.
Deep Dive Reports
Detailed analysis for Bladensburg, MD