High doses of arsenic can lead to a quick death, but low-doses are also dangerous. Long-term arsenic exposure may even cause genetic damage that can be passed down to your children.
Water Quality
Arsenic Water - What You Need to Know and How to Remove It
6 min read
- 01 | What Is Arsenic?
- 02 | How Does Arsenic Get Into Drinking Water?
- 03 | Health Risks of Arsenic In Your Drinking Water
- 04 | Government Regulations of Arsenic in Tap Water
- 05 | Who Is Most At Risk for Arsenic Contamination?
- 06 | Testing Your Tap Water for Arsenic
- 07 | What’s the Best Type of Filter for Removing Arsenic?
- 08 | How Reverse Osmosis Systems Remove Arsenic from Drinking Water
- 09 | The Bottom Line
In recent years, arsenic has become a big concern in water quality.
According to the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health:
“For the past three decades, several studies have shown that drinking arsenic-contaminated water should be one of the major concerns for the health of mankind.”
Rates of contamination are increasing and it comes with alarming health effects.
This article discusses how arsenic gets into drinking water, what it does to your body, and how to remove it.
Here’s what you need to know…
Arsenic is a naturally-occurring element found in rocks and soil and is highly toxic to all lifeforms.
It’s used for a variety of purposes in industry and agriculture and is a byproduct of mining, copper smelting, and coal burning. It can be used to kill insects on crops and to preserve wood.
Arsenic exists in two main forms depending on the amount of oxygen present: arsenate and arsenite. Arsenate is the form that contaminates most private wells. Arsenite, on the other hand, is found deeper underground and is less common in drinking water.
When arsenic levels are too high in a specific location, it can pose a serious health threat.
Arsenic enters the water supply from disturbed natural deposits or industrial and agricultural pollution.
In fact, U.S. industries release thousands of pounds of arsenic every year and they remain in the environment for a very long time.
Once arsenic enters bodies of surface water, like rivers and lakes, it slowly enters the groundwater and makes its way to private wells.
Millions of people are exposed to arsenic in drinking water every year, and the health risks can be severe.
The World Health Organization classifies arsenic as a Group 1 carcinogenic substance, and consuming arsenic has been linked to several kinds of cancer, including skin, bladder, and lung cancer.
In addition, according to the National Research Council, every 1 in 300 people have an increased risk of cancer due to lifetime exposure to arsenic.
Other side effects of arsenic include:
- Reproductive and developmental defects
- Cardiovascular disease
- Lung disease
- Skin lesions
However, it can take years before symptoms start to develop, and by the time you realize that your body is toxic with arsenic it may already be too late.
The Environmental Protection Association (EPA) regulates arsenic levels in accordance with the Safe Water Drinking Act, which sets standards for all contaminants in drinking water.
For years, arsenic had a maximum limit of 50 parts per billion (ppb), but in 2001 they lowered the limit to 10 ppb after new studies found how incredibly toxic arsenic truly is.
In addition, keep in mind that the EPA only regulates public drinking water supplies, so if you’re on a private well, your water quality is your own responsibility.
Public water supplies in Texas, New England and the Midwest have some of the highest occurrences of high arsenic levels.
But what about folks on private wells?
They may be even more at risk because regulatory standards for drinking water do not apply to them, and that accounts for roughly 45 million Americans.
The highest arsenic concentrations documented in private wells have been found in California, Nevada, Washington, Michigan, Oregon and New Hampshire.
Unfortunately, arsenic concentrations in drinking water continue to grow worldwide.
Furthermore, in 2001, an estimated 130 million people were exposed to arsenic levels above the EPA’s old limit of 50 ppb. By 2012, it had already climbed to 202 million, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
How much arsenic is in your tap water?
Finding out can take some effort, but it’s important to find out.
In fact, local water suppliers often fail to protect the public from dangerous contaminants like lead, nuclear waste and arsenic.
If you’re on a municipal water supply, you should receive an annual water report called a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Furthermore, water systems with over 100,000 people must also post their reports on the EPA’s website.
The CCR provides an analysis of over 90 different contaminants regulated by the EPA. It explains if any contaminants were found above the EPA’s limits, what the potential health risks may be, and what you should do about it.
With that said, it’s still a good idea to conduct your own tests at least once a year, and if you’re on a private well, you should test even more frequently.
Many do-it-yourself kits are available, but they aren’t always the most accurate.
In addition, the EPA provides a list of certified laboratories in your area that can test your drinking water for a fee of $20 to $150.
Even if you think your water is safe, regular testing provides a record of water quality so if someone were to contaminate your water you’d have evidence to seek compensation.
Furthermore, knowing what’s in your water will help you pick the right type of filter to protect your family from arsenic and other dangerous contaminants.
Arsenic is one of the more difficult substances to remove.
The good news is that by installing a water system that removes arsenic, you’ll be protected from just about every pollutant known to man.
Arsenic can take many different forms (valances), but most water filtration technologies are designed to remove arsenate: the most common type of arsenic. In order to remove a variety of different types, you’ll need a water system that combines multiple filtration methods.
Some of the most effective treatment methods for removing arsenic include:
- Reverse osmosis
- Nanofiltration
- Ultrafiltration
- Microfiltration
- Anion exchange resins
- Distillation
- Manganese greensand
- Titanium hydroxide/oxyhydroxide
- Iron-based media
- Activated alumina
The most important type of filtration is the membrane process.
There are four types of membrane processes that work for removing arsenic:
- Reverse osmosis
- Ultrafiltration
- Microfiltration
- Nanofiltration
Under ideal circumstances in a laboratory setting, nanofiltration is often the most effective.
However, its effectiveness depends on sensitive variables like pH, electromagnetic charge, and oxygenation, which are too difficult to control in a residential setting.
For this reason, reverse osmosis-based systems are usually the most effective for removing high concentrations at home.
Let’s take a closer look at why RO filters are the best type of filtration system for removing arsenic from your tap water…
When you’re faced with arsenic and other hard-to-remove contaminants, reverse osmosis (RO) filters are often the best.
They remove 99.9% of arsenic, lead, bacteria, nuclear byproducts, and everything else on the EPA’s list of dangerous pollutants.
In fact, RO membranes work on a molecular level to trap and separate contaminants from drinking water. They force pressurized water through a semipermeable membrane with extremely small pores. The membrane traps contaminants and allows clean water to pass through.
However, an RO membrane on its own isn’t enough to remove 99.9% of all harmful contaminants. In order to do that, RO systems have to combine several stages of filtration and purification.
Reverse osmosis systems include anywhere from 3 to 6 stages:
- Sediment filter to trap large dirt and debris
- Second sediment filter to filter out tinier solid particles
- Activated carbon filter to trap organic chemicals like chlorine
- Ion exchange resins to remove “hard” minerals like calcium and magnesium
- Reverse osmosis membrane to remove difficult contaminants like arsenic, lead and nuclear waste
- Polishing filter to remove any stragglers not caught by the RO membrane
The earlier stages prepare the water by stripping it of large particles, disinfectants, hard minerals, and other pollutants that might reduce the effectiveness of reverse osmosis.
By the time the water reaches the RO membrane, arsenic doesn’t stand a chance!
An RO system is the most cost-effective way to remove arsenic and other dangerous pollutants from your tap water.
High-end RO systems also remineralize and alkalize the water so that you have perfect pH-balanced water every time.
Regardless of the filter you choose, make sure that it’s approved by water quality organizations like the Water Quality Association, Underwriters Laboratories, and NSF International.
Cloud Water Filters check all the boxes. They even sync to an app on your phone so that you can monitor your water quality 24/7.
It’s time for arsenic to take a hike!
Click here to learn more.
