foodconsumer.org: Arsenic in well water higher than thought

Arsenic in well water higher than thought
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admin on 05/26/2009 01:35:00
 
Sunday May 25, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- With recent reports that even low
level exposure to arsenic may compromise the immune system, concerns about water
contamination from the carcinogen may be justified.
More than 20 percent of private domestic wells contain at least one contaminant
of potential health concern, according to a March 2009 study by the U.S.
Geological Survey.
In samples taken nationwide, the USGS found that about 43 million people, or 15
percent of the population, use drinking water from private wells, which are not
regulated by the government.
A recent report by scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory and the
Dartmouth Medical School found that low level arsenic exposure can significantly
compromise a person’s immune system, leaving them more susceptible to viruses
such as H1N1.
USGS scientists sampled 2,100 private wells in 48 states and found that the
inorganic contaminants most frequently found, at concentrations of potential
health concern, were radon and arsenic.
Arsenic is a well-known toxic chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency
and the World Health Organization list as a known carcinogen. While arsenic
occurs naturally, it can also be found in industrial applications such as
leather and wood treatments and pesticides.
Man-made arsenic contamination results from the manufacture of metals and
alloys, petroleum refining, and the burning of fossil fuels and wastes.
“These industrial activities have created a strong legacy of arsenic pollution
throughout the United States,” says an EPA report from April 2004. “The
combination of high toxicity and widespread occurrence has created a pressing
need for effective monitoring and measurement of arsenic in soil and
groundwater.”
Arsenic is listed second only to lead as the main contaminant on the National
Priority List of Superfund sites. The problem with arsenic, according to the EPA
report, is that it cannot be transformed into a non-toxic material. It can only
be transformed into a form that is less toxic when exposed to living organisms
in the environment.
“Because arsenic is a permanent part of the environment,” states the report,
“there is a long-term need for regular monitoring at sites where
arsenic-containing waste has been disposed of and at sites where it occurs
naturally at elevated levels.”
(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)