It’s |
hard |
to |
believe |
that |
water that |
looks, |
|
smells, |
and |
tastes |
|
fine may not be safe
to drink. |
But |
the |
|
truth |
is |
that |
many |
private |
|
wells |
in |
Maine |
yield |
water |
|
that is high in arsenic.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical found in soil and rocks. Some rocks have higher levels of arsenic, and this may explain why some drilled wells have high arsenic water. And in some areas, past use of
People who drink water high in arsenic for many years are more likely to get cancer. Drinking water very high in arsenic can also cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, as well as effects on blood and the heart.
1
How likely you are to get cancer or any other health effects from arsenic in water depends on three major factors:
How much arsenic is in your water; How much tap water you drink; How long you have been drinking the water.
If you are concerned about health problems possibly due to arsenic in your well water, you should discuss them with your doctor. The Bureau of Health recommends that all household wells be tested for arsenic.
Q.How much is too much arsenic in well water?
Answer: Test results for arsenic in water are often reported as the number of milligrams of arsenic in a liter of water (mg/L for short). A liter is about a quart. The Bureau of Health guideline for arsenic in domestic well water is 0.01 milligrams of arsenic per liter of water. The current federal government standard for regulated water supplies is 0.05 mg/L, but this will be lowered to 0.01 mg/L.
2
Q.I just found out I have high arsenic water. What should I do?
Answer: If your water has more than 0.01 mg/L arsenic, we recommend you begin taking steps to reduce how much of this water you drink. Switching to bottled water will greatly reduce how much arsenic gets into your body. It will also allow you to safely take your time in deciding what, if any, treatment you want to have installed to remove arsenic from your well water. Sometimes, simply switching to bottled water is all that is needed.
Q.Is there a way to remove arsenic from well water?
Answer: Yes. We advise consulting one or more water treatment companies to help in choosing an arsenic removal system. This is because the choice of a treatment system depends on what else is in your water and how much water you need to treat. While we do not recommend any specific treatment system, we do advise selection of treatment systems that have been certified for arsenic removal by NSF International (www.nsf.org). Also, be sure to test at least once a year after any system is installed to make sure it is working.
3
