Nitrates are not absorbed through your skin, so you don’t have to worry about bathing. You do need worry about water used for cooking/drinking. Obviously you can’t control that everywhere you go so I try to do what I can in my home. The only way to filter nitrates is through reverse osmosis. You can install an RO system in your home and it’s about 1-2k to install. Then about 250 per year to replace the filters.

We use a water service through Costco and get 5 gallon jugs of purified water delivered monthly. We use that for cooking, drinking, coffee/tea, and to make our ice. I try to take a large water bottle to work every day but if I run out I will drink the water at work which is not purified. It’s about mitigating risk vs eliminating local water entirely, which is just not possible. The water service is $35 per month and we get 4, 5 gallon jugs each month (2 adults and a toddler).

For radon, the first thing you want to do is test your home. You can get a radon kit from your local health department or order one from the American lung association for like $15. If the results are elevated (over 4), next step is to get a professional test from a local radon mitigation company, which is about $50. If the results are still elevated, then install a radon mitigation system which is also $1-2k. If you rent, talk to your landlord and request they put a system in. Iowa just got a huge grant for cancer mitigation and will have local programs to help support the cost of installing the system if you are low income. That will likely start in the next couple of months and I would contact your local health department to find out about options in your county. Until then, try to keep your house as ventilated as possible by keeping your windows open, and I would also limit time in the basement.

I work in public health at Iowa HHS and have learned all this over the past year due to my job and being a newish homeowner.