Arsenic often makes headlines, and for good reason. It’s odorless, tasteless, and toxic to humans. It’s a common contaminant in groundwater around the world, and is found in especially high levels in Michigan. Long-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated water can lead to serious health issues.
Municipal water suppliers treat public water to remove arsenic, but if you have a private well in Michigan, your home’s water could be at risk. Let’s take a closer look at this common contaminant and find out what you can do to protect your family’s water.
What is Arsenic?
Arsenic is a chemical element found in rocks and soil under the ground. It is naturally occurring and found all over the surface of the Earth. It can be introduced into our food and water supplies by natural mineral absorption during the water cycle, or by human-made factors (mining, manufacturing waste, pollution, pesticide use, etc.). It’s not possible to remove arsenic entirely from the environment.
Arsenic can be found in contaminated drinking water and in any product that touches that water, including crops, seafood, or livestock that drink the contaminated water. However, experts agree that the risk of arsenic poisoning from crops or secondary contamination is low compared to the risk of consuming the arsenic-contaminated water directly.
How Does Arsenic Affect My Health?
Inorganic arsenic (arsenic without stabilizing carbon) has a toxic effect on every system of the human body. However, it has no smell or taste, making it an especially sinister contaminant.
If you consume high levels of arsenic in contaminated water, you may experience severe acute vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea. However, it is unlikely that arsenic levels would be so high in a private well to cause these short-term or acute symptoms. However, long-term exposure to arsenic can cause more chronic and serious health issues, including hyperkeratosis, or hard patches on the palms or feet, cancer of various systems, neurological decline, pulmonary and cardiovascular issues, an increased risk of heart attack, diabetes, and other issues.
Arsenic in Michigan’s Well Water
According to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), arsenic is found in unusually high levels in Michigan’s bedrock. Municipal water suppliers treat their water for arsenic, getting levels down to the EPA’s standard of less than 0.010m/L. If you have municipal water, you may be able to review your water supplier’s reported arsenic levels in your annual water quality report.
However, if you have well water, no outside entity is regulating your water quality, which means you are responsible for ensuring that it’s safe to drink. You can have your well water tested by contacting the EGLE, a commercial lab that can test for arsenic, or by contacting a Wolverine Water expert. If your report comes back with arsenic levels greater than 0.010m/L, you should stop using your home’s water for drinking and cooking and contact our team about a reverse osmosis or whole-home water purification system.
It’s also important for private well owners to test their water year after year. Even if a water test comes back with acceptable levels of arsenic or other minerals one year, there could be changes to your well water year after year, depending on pollution or agricultural practices around your home.
Keeping Your Family Safe from Arsenic
Wolverine Water has more than 75 years of experience handling Michigan’s water challenges. We have a whole home water purification system especially designed to get arsenic levels down to safe levels for private well owners, so every tap in your home has pure, fresh water flowing.
If you need a lower-budget option, we also offer point-of-use reverse osmosis systems to help keep the water flowing from your kitchen tap free from unwanted contaminants. No matter which path you choose, we’ll test your water before and after to show you the difference your Wolverine Water system is making for your home. It’s your water! Keep it safe and pure with Wolverine Pure. Contact us today to get started.
