arsenic in well water - fraser health · arsenic. be sure to operate ... arsenic in well water...

• NSF/ANSIStandard62ondrinkingwaterdistillationsystems;or

• Standard58onreverseosmosisdrinkingwatertreatmentsystems;or

• Standards53ondrinkingwatertreatmentunits–withspecificdesignationforarsenic.

Besuretooperateandmaintainyourtreatmentdeviceasperthemanufacturer’sinstructionsandtestyourrawandtreatedwaterregularlyforarsenictomakesurethatthedeviceisindeedworkingproperly.

For more information pertainingtodrinkingwaterandotherservices,visittheFraserHealthwebsitebeloworcontacttheDrinkingWaterProgramstaffat1-604-870-7900.

www.fraserhealth.ca/your_environment

HealthProtectionisresponsibleforregulatingandmonitoringmanypublicfacilitiesandthoseaspectsoftheenvironmentthathaveadirectimpactonpublichealth.Ourmissionis“ensuringhealthypeopleandhealthyenvironments”.

Arsenic in Well WaterInformation for

Private Well Owners

Revised:December2013

What can I do if there is arsenic in my drinking water?

Waterwitharsenicisaproblemonlyifyouareusingitfordrinking,preparingfoodorwateringfoodplants.Exposurethroughbreathingandskincontactisnotharmful.Forexample,therearenoknownhealtheffectsfromhandwashing,bathing,orwashingclothinginwaterwitharsenic.

Ifaninitialtestdetectsarsenic,evenatlevelsbelowtheguideline,itisimportanttohaveasecondtestdonetoconfirmtheresults.Ifarsenicispresent,thenyoucaneitheruseanothersourcefordrinkingwaterortreatthecurrentsource.

Chlorinationandmechanicalfiltersdonotremovearsenicfromwater.Boiling water may increase the concentration of arsenic and make the problem worse.Thereareseveraltreatmentoptionsforremovingarsenicincludingreverseosmosisfiltersanddistillation.

Thereisnoregulatorycontrolovertreatmentdevicesforprivatehomes,soyouhavetobecarefultobuyonethatworksforremovingarsenic.LookforatreatmentdevicethathasbeencertifiedbyanorganizationaccreditedbytheStandardsCouncilofCanada(SCC)andmeetsoneofthefollowingstandards:

Health Protection Ensuring Healthy People and Healthy Environments

ForadetailedandlargerareaviewoftheaboveArsenicMapvisittheFraserHealthwebsiteat:www.fraserhealth.ca/your_environment/drinking_water/resources/private-well-owners/. www.fraserhealth.ca

How does arsenic get into drinking water?

Arseniccangetintodrinkingwaterfromnaturaldepositsorrunofffromagriculture,miningorindustrialprocesses.InBritishColumbia,naturalmineralsarethemostcommonsourcesofarsenicindrinkingwater.Theamountofarsenicfoundingroundwaterwellsisusuallyhigherthanthatfoundinsurfacewatersuppliessuchaslakes,streamsandrivers.

What are the health effects of arsenic exposure?

Arsenicinwaterisaconcernonlyifthewaterisbeingusedfordrinkingorpreparingfood.Exposurethroughbreathingandskincontactisnotharmful.Forexample,therearenoknownhealtheffectsfromhandwashing,bathingorwashingclothinginwaterwitharsenic.

However, if you use your water for drinking or preparing food, water that contains arsenic can have serious short-term and long-term health effects,dependingonhowmucharsenicisinyourwaterandforhowlongyoudrinkit.

Shorttomedium-term(daystoweeks)exposuretoveryhighlevelsofarsenic(over200partsperbillion)indrinkingwatercanleadtoarsenicpoisoning.Foranaddedmarginofsafety,donotdrinkwatercontaining100partsperbillionarsenicorgreater.

Symptomsofexposuretohighlevelsofarsenicincludestomachpain,vomiting,diarrhea,andimpairednervefunction,whichmayresultin‘pinsandneedles’sensationinhandsandfeet.

Aschildrentendtodrinkmorewaterperunitofbodyweightthanadults,theymayhavemoreexposuretoarsenicindrinkingwaterandmaybeatgreaterriskofillnesswhenhigherlevelsofarsenicarepresent.

Long-term(yearstodecades)exposuretoevenrelativelylowamountsofarsenicindrinkingwatercanincreaseyourriskofdevelopingcertaincancers,

includingskin,lung,kidney,andbladdercancer.TheriskofcanceristhereasonfordevelopingtheCanadianguidelineforarsenicindrinkingwater.Longtermarsenicexposurecanalsocauseskinchanges,includingdarkening,andwartorcorn-likegrowthsmostlyfoundonthepalmsofthehandsandsolesofthefeet.

HealthCanadasetaMaximumAcceptableConcentration(MAC)of0.010mg/L(10ug/Lor10partsperbillion)forarsenicindrinkingwater.Thislevelwassetbasedontheabilitytotreatwaterpracticablytothislevel.Thisamountisstilllinkedwithahealthriskhigherthanthelevelconsideredtobeaveryminorrisk.Forthisreasonpeopleshouldconsidertakingprecautionswiththeirdrinkingwaterevenifthearseniclevelsareslightlybelowtheguideline.

FormoreinformationonarsenicindrinkingwaterandtheGuidelinesforCanadianDrinkingWaterQualityvisittheHealthCanadawebsiteatwww.hc-sc.gc.ca.

How can I find out if there is arsenic in my drinking water?

Anywellmaycontainarsenicorothercontaminants.Asthewellowner,itisyourresponsibilitytotestyourwellwaterforarsenicandotherindicatorsofwaterquality.

Arsenicindrinkingwaterhasnoodourortaste.Itisdetectedbyachemicaltestthatisdoneonlybyspecializedlaboratories.Foralistof“LaboratoriesAnalytical”checktheyellowpagesinthetelephonebookorcontactanEnvironmentalHealthOfficerintheDrinkingWaterProgramat1-604-870-7900.

Formoreinformationonwatertestinggotowww.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile05b.stm.Seefile#05b“ShouldIGetMyWellWaterTested?”

Drinkingwaterthatcontainsarseniccanhaveseriousshort-termandlong-termhealtheffects.Asyoucanseeonthemap,somegroundwaterintheFraserValleyisknowntocontainarsenicconcentrationsexceedingHealthCanada’sMaximumAcceptableConcentration(MAC)of0.010mg/L(10ug/Lor10partsperbillion).Thispamphletprovidesinformationaboutarsenic,includinghowtotestyourwellwaterforarsenicandwhattodoifarsenicisfoundinyourwellwater.

Pre-Treatment Arsenic Levels

<0.3-negligiblerisk

0.3-10.0-meetsHealthCanada’sMAC

10.0-100.0-exceedsHealthCanada’sMAC

100.0orgreater-potentialfortoxicitywithouttreatment