Anyone dealt with arsenic in their well water? We’re buying a house and the well test came back with Arsenic above the allowable limits. I’m leaning towards a whole house reverse osmosis unit but have several people are telling me a point of use system is fine. Not sure which way to go.
Never had to deal with it but I personally would do whichever one removes more impurities and is more dependable
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Don’t know where you are, but up here in NH, you pretty much won’t find a well that “passes” the “allowable limits.”
Essentially, allowable limits tend to be pretty arbitrary, although it is arsenic. And NH does have some of the highest cancer rates in the nation, so… take that for what you may.
Go with whatever you can afford, and whatever you can live with. Good luck…
- Jeff
Arsenic happens:
Pretty funny old movie as I recall but it was years ago that I saw it.
Per USGS:
(Note arsenic contamination seems to correlate with liberal mindedness.)
That doesn’t help at all does it? Me, myself, and I would just buy a single point of use filter for drinking water at the sink, maybe another for the dispenser on the fridge. Why bother filtering and dealing with filter maintenance for shower and toilet water? But since you said “we’re,” do whatever makes the other half happy.
Don’t know where you are, but up here in NH, you pretty much won’t find a well that “passes” the “allowable limits.”
Essentially, allowable limits tend to be pretty arbitrary, although it is arsenic. And NH does have some of the highest cancer rates in the nation, so… take that for what you may.
Go with whatever you can afford, and whatever you can live with. Good luck…
- Jeff
“Allowable limits” are anything but arbitrary (although there are many factors that go into setting those limits, not all of which are related to toxicity). EPA sets a MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) of 10 ppb for arsenic in drinking water; the MCL was reduced to that level in 2001 by the Bush administration (those notoriously zealous lefties).
Note also that EPA has an MCLG (MCL Goal) of zero for arsenic. MCLGs are not enforceable standards for public drinking water systems, but they tell you where the science is leading. Arsenic is a potent carcinogen and really you should eliminate any intake as far as reasonably possible. If you know you have As in your well you should treat your drinking water to remove it. A whole-house system is probably not necessary as dermal absorption of As (e.g. from bathing) is minimal.
“Allowable limits” are anything but arbitrary (although there are many factors that go into setting those limits, not all of which are related to toxicity). EPA sets a MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) of 10 ppb for arsenic in drinking water; the MCL was reduced to that level in 2001 by the Bush administration (those notoriously zealous lefties).
What part of that isn’t arbitrary, again?
You should be OK with an RO unit that treats your drinking water only.
Consult with your state drinking water program; they actually know about this stuff.
Or look up EPA and ATSDR references.
eb’s post is bang on. You want ZERO ppm As in your drinking / cooking water. As is a nasty heavy metal. It accumulates in your body, causing damage for ever. If you have kids in the house then your target should always be ZERO. Make sure you test your water regularly - both at the well and at the point of use. Both can change over time.
ROs are the best option for treatment but there are some important considerations. Does your water have high Fe or Mg concentrations? These are harmless to you but will foul your RO quickly - possibly costing you more in the long run and, if not managed, result in damage and breakthrough of the As. You would likely need some pre-treatment such as Ion Exchange or precipitation.
You may also ask the analytical lab about how much of your As is Arsenic Trioxide. ROs don’t do as well in removing Aresenic Trioxide - you may want to add a pre-treatment tank to oxidize the As(III) to As(V).
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9819/a507a5b03dd2d1d654546b912c8046e8987b.pdf
“Allowable limits” are anything but arbitrary (although there are many factors that go into setting those limits, not all of which are related to toxicity). EPA sets a MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) of 10 ppb for arsenic in drinking water; the MCL was reduced to that level in 2001 by the Bush administration (those notoriously zealous lefties).
What part of that isn’t arbitrary, again?
Maybe we’re getting crosswise over the word “arbitrary”, which has many different meanings, among others
“based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system” or
“unrestrained and autocratic in the use of authority” (of power or a ruling body).
The level of arsenic that’s considered safe in drinking water has declined dramatically over time. In my opinion that’s not because of unrestrained governmental authority, or random choice, or anything like that. It’s based primarily on an increased scientific knowledge of the toxicology of arsenic. Sure, that’s not the only factor, but it’s the dominant one IMO.
I was exactly where you are 11 years ago and was leaning to a point of entry system. I did research and ended up speaking to the state toxicologist. My son was one at the time and my wife was leaning to even moving on to a different house all together. I was worried in particular about steam in the shower/ tub. At least in the north east arsenic is growing at a very rapid level and you should test regularly even if you didn’t have it when you bought the house. IAfter my research, I settled on a point of use system and have a tank connected to both my fridge and kitchen sink. After reading on-line and speaking to the state expert, he explained it was a huge waste of money to treat toilet, laundry, garden hose water etc. My numbers may be off but point of entry systems were $6-8K and costs $800-$1,200 annual to change filters depending on water use. Point of use systems (commercially were $800-$1,000 and filters were $300.
If you’re even remotely handy, go to budgetwater.com. I bought a system that I installed myself for $300 and filters are maybe $75 a year. They provide free water testing. They have tons of videos and great customer service. Ironically, I was leaning to a point of entry system during negotiations and the seller took $6K off the sale price for something I ultimatley mitigated for $300.
This discussion reminded me of the crisis is Bangladesh. The World Health Organization called it “the largest mass poisoning of a population in historyâ€. It’s a fascinating story.
https://undark.org/article/bangladesh-arsenic-poisoning-drinking-water/
As is a nasty heavy metal. It accumulates in your body, causing damage for ever.
Is that new science? I mean new in the sense that when it proposed lowering the MCL EPA said arsenic is methylated by the body and excreted in urine for a half life of four days. 65 Fed. Reg. 38877 (June 22, 2000). Or maybe I don’t understand the concept of accumulation.
You are right. As does get peed out. heavy metals like Pb and Hg are much harder to get rid of. My mistake.
You are right. As does get peed out. heavy metals like Pb and Hg are much harder to get rid of. My mistake.
Thanks, I’m relieved that my recollection (which seemed to be confirmed in quick research) was correct. That is less and less the case these days, but as they say down here, “even a blind hen gets some corn.”