Arsenic & Water Filtration

Arsenic is a very dangerous poison that sickens and kills by building up in the body through repetitive consumption of low doses. That is what makes arsenic so dangerous; by the time you start to feel sick you have been poisoned for a long time. While arsenic is present in the earth's crust all over the world, you can filter it out of water.

Arsenic

• Arsenic enters groundwater by surface and rainwater seeping through rocks containing the mineral. It can also enter the water via runoff from industry and from wood products treated with preservatives. Fossil fuel combustion throws arsenic into the air, where it is deposited on the ground and leaches in with rain and surface water. Long-term arsenic poisoning causes cancer of the lungs, skin, kidney and bladder. In addition to cancer, skin conditions like changes in pigmentation and thickening occur. These two conditions appear first, followed by cancer after about 10 years. However, arsenic poisoning causes other symptoms that vary so widely as to make arsenic poisoning identification very difficult.

Safe Limits

• The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) both consider 0.01 parts per million to be the safe limit for arsenic concentrations in water. The WHO feels that a lower limit is warranted, but that it would be too small to practically measure. Water with arsenic is safe for bathing and cleaning, since arsenic is not absorbed through the skin. Arsenic-laced water is not safe for drinking and cooking.

Filtering Methods

• Traditional carbon filters and water softening systems are not effective in removing arsenic, but you can use them along with effective arsenic filtering systems. The best filtering systems for the job are distillation and reverse osmosis. Both of these methods are common for removing other contaminants and supply small batches of clean water. The small quantity that these systems purify per day do not make them ideal for treating all household water, but will supply a plentiful amount for cooking and drinking.

Distillation

• Distillation requires the heating up of water until it becomes steam, at which point it rises into a tube attached to another tank where it cools and condenses into pure water. The remainder in the bottom of the first tank is the sediments and impurities in the water. Distillation is highly effective in removing heavy metals like chromium, lead, copper, mercury and cadmium. Minerals like barium, arsenic, sodium, selenium and fluoride precipitate out as well. Many of these heavy metals have serious health risks, including cancer and developmental issues in children. It is an effective system, but it is capable of only doing small batches at a time.

Reverse Osmosis

• Reverse osmosis is a system that uses a membrane full of extremely fine pores to filter water. Due to the size of the pores, reverse osmosis removes almost everything from water, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, minerals and heavy metals. Since it is so fine, it is typically part of a system that uses other filers like a carbon filter first in order to remove larger sediment and compounds that could clog the system. A final shot of a disinfector like ultraviolet light and your water is completely pure. It is a thorough system, but wastes a lot of water and it is slow.