Arsenic Test In Drinking Water

You can find out if you have arsenic in your body with a simple urine test.

Arsenic test in drinking water.

It tends to remain in the body and it can have a damaging cumulative effect in the body. If you are on a private well it is important to test for bacteria as that is a common contaminant as well as naturally occurring contaminants such as arsenic radon barium iron and manganese. If total arsenic results come back high it s worth considering a follow up test to determine what form of arsenic dominates the total arsenic detection in order to make the best choice when it comes to choosing a filter. It may also be described as being 10 parts per billion as being safe to drink.

If you are on a city water supply you may want to test for the by products of disinfection and heavy metals as they are likely to be in the water. The lowest acceptable level in drinking water set by the epa is 10 micrograms per liter of water. In the past testing for arsenic in drinking water has been as difficult as removing it. How to test for arsenic v in drinking water.

Typically step one is to test for total arsenic. That translates into about 38 micrograms per gallon of water. Minimal acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water. Even at low levels arsenic is toxic and a known carcinogen.

Arsenic testing in drinking water had historically been as difficult as removing the contaminant. Arsenic field test kits are widely used to measure arsenic levels in drinking water sources especially in countries like bangladesh where water supply is highly decentralized and water quality testing infrastructure is limited. Arsenic is a poisonous metalloid that can get to drinking water wells as a result of natural erosion processes and other man made practices. You can t see taste or smell arsenic in drinking water so the only way to know if your well has arsenic or other common contaminants is to test it.

New england the midwest and the southwest are naturally more likely to have high arsenic in the groundwater but it s important for everyone to test their well for arsenic every 3 5 years. The advancement of test strips is now a primary solution for how to test for arsenic in water. Michael harbut who specializes in occupational medicine in the detroit area said he s seen scores of patients with classic symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning from drinking well water.