Water is essential for all dimensions of life. The quality of water in rivers and underground aquifers has deteriorated due to pollution and contaminants from cities, industry and agriculture. Over one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water. (World Health Organization) Since water is so essential to our health, we should strive to make our drinking water as safe as possible and free from contaminants. (Centers for Disease Control)
Last spring, a family living near our hometown came home to find their otherwise young and healthy dog, suddenly struck blind. A trip to the veterinarian produced no answers – just questions. What could be the problem? After weeks of worry, a discovery was made. The family’s water supply comes from a private well, which is typical in rural areas and much of the western U.S. When the water in that well was tested, the report came back with staggeringly high levels of arsenic, 4 times greater than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) legal limit. Health problems had plagued the family for months, but never did they suspect the water in which they were showering, the water from the tap, the water used to cook their food, and the water used to quench their thirst. Water was not actually the culprit – it was the arsenic in the water that made all the difference.
Their story was not isolated. High levels of naturally occurring arsenic, as well as pesticide residue from years of use on cotton fields, are found in our region. Our drinking water had been contaminated with arsenic and there had been no solution in sight. (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) Arsenic-contaminated groundwater constitutes a major health problem. The EPA legal limit for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen linked to liver, lung, kidney, bladder and skin cancers, as well as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. “Arsenic,” according to the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program, “is considered the number one environmental chemical of concern for human health in the U. S. and worldwide.”
The problem we are trying to solve is the high level of arsenic found in the drinking water, and the increased risk of dread diseases among those of us at risk for exposure. Arsenic: It’s What’s for Dinner.
Last spring, a family living near our hometown came home to find their otherwise young and healthy dog, suddenly struck blind. A trip to the veterinarian produced no answers – just questions. What could be the problem? After weeks of worry, a discovery was made. The family’s water supply comes from a private well, which is typical in rural areas and much of the western U.S. When the water in that well was tested, the report came back with staggeringly high levels of arsenic, 4 times greater than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) legal limit. Health problems had plagued the family for months, but never did they suspect the water in which they were showering, the water from the tap, the water used to cook their food, and the water used to quench their thirst. Water was not actually the culprit – it was the arsenic in the water that made all the difference.
Their story was not isolated. High levels of naturally occurring arsenic, as well as pesticide residue from years of use on cotton fields, are found in our region. Our drinking water had been contaminated with arsenic and there had been no solution in sight. (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) Arsenic-contaminated groundwater constitutes a major health problem. The EPA legal limit for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen linked to liver, lung, kidney, bladder and skin cancers, as well as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. “Arsenic,” according to the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program, “is considered the number one environmental chemical of concern for human health in the U. S. and worldwide.”
The problem we are trying to solve is the high level of arsenic found in the drinking water, and the increased risk of dread diseases among those of us at risk for exposure. Arsenic: It’s What’s for Dinner.
