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• 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