|  | Public Health Safety | Food Safety

Acceptable Levels of Arsenic in Water

Arsenic is a naturally occurring, highly toxic element that tends to leach into groundwater in small quantities. Some water filtration systems, however, are capable of removing or significantly reducing arsenic levels.

  1. Chemistry

    • Arsenic occurs naturally in two forms: trivalent arsenic and pentavalent arsenic. Once dissolved in water, arsenic is odorless, tasteless and colorless.

    Health Effects

    • In large doses, arsenic can cause death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long-term exposure in drinking water, even at relatively low doses, increases the risk of developing skin, lung, kidney and bladder cancer.

    Allowable Levels

    • In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the threshold for acceptable arsenic levels in drinking water to 10 parts per billion (ppb) from 50 ppb.

    Sources

    • Arsenic in drinking water can originate either from natural or man-made sources. Arsenic occurs naturally in some rocks and can leach into water that comes into contact with the rocks. Arsenic is also used in many industrial processes, such as copper smelting and, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, thousands of pounds are released into the environment each year.

    Removal

    • Arsenic levels in drinking water can be significantly reduced by certain filtration systems. Filtration systems meeting NSF/ANSI Standards 53 and/or 58 are capable of reducing arsenic levels to less than 10 ppb.

Food Safety - Related Articles