Dangers of arsenic in water: Not just a plot twist

Over the past ten years, the conversation has often been about the dangers and treatment of arsenic in New Hampshire water. Arsenic has played a role in literature and drama for years, so many of us have no problem identifying with the fact that it is something you do not want to drink. 

However, most New Hampshire residents don’t realize that, of the half of people who have a private well, as many as 1 in 4 could have unhealthy levels arsenic in their water.  

Arsenic is more than a plot twist; it’s a very real danger to many NH families. PFAS is often the hot topic in the media today, and while it has its dangers, arsenic has long been a known carcinogen in our water with well-documented health risks. With a 25% chance of it being in private wells in New Hampshire, it needs to be talked about more often. 

Why is arsenic dangerous? 

Although arsenic is understood to be a poison, it took a great deal of research on its effects in water to get the development of our current standards and protocols. 

While we don’t subscribe to scare tactics, we do want to make sure our neighbors throughout the state are educated on the risks. There’s no way to see or smell arsenic in water, and there are serious implications of ingesting both large and small amounts of arsenic over the long and short term.  

Arsenic is an “accumulative enabler,” which means it builds up over time in your body and enables various diseases to take hold. 

• For a long time, we have known that arsenic is a carcinogen in humans.  

• More recently, research has found that long-term exposure to even very low levels of this toxin is  linked to cardiovascular disease, immunological disorders, diabetes and neurological issues. 

According to the EPA, chronic oral exposure to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic has resulted in gastrointestinal effects, anemia, peripheral neuropathy, skin lesions, hyperpigmentation, and liver or kidney damage in humans. Ingestion of inorganic arsenic has been linked to skin cancer and to bladder, liver, and lung cancers.  

The EPA standard for arsenic is 10 parts per billion (ppb), but the New Hampshire state limit is 5 ppb. Zero arsenic is the ideal, but that is not scientifically feasible, and labs simply can’t test that low. 

Up to 25% of people in New Hampshire 
have unhealthy levels arsenic in their well water. 

How do I know if I have arsenic in my drinking water? 

Arsenic in water is tasteless, colorless, and odorless, so the only way to know about your arsenic risk is to test. While there are certain zones in our region where arsenic is more likely to be present, everyone on a private well should test every three to five years according to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Homeowners who have treatment for arsenic in their home already should test annually to ensure the treatment is working. Arsenic levels can change over time, so once arsenic is found in a well it’s important to continue to test.  

Although private well owners are not required by law to test, small and large public water supplies are mandated to test through the EPA and have been monitoring arsenic for years. If they do, why wouldn’t you? 

As a company, we strongly encourage our customers to test for arsenic because we feel it’s our ethical responsibility. When you join the SecondWind Water Systems family of customers, we work hard to provide safe, clean, great-tasting water. But we can only be successful in this effort if we know the dangers present in your water.  

Not everyone tests for arsenic, but with a 25% chance of its presence, testing is strongly recommended. 

How do I get rid of arsenic? 

Many choices exist for removing arsenic from water. It is important to understand those options because they vary widely in complexity, results, and maintenance costs. 

Most research indicates minimal or no absorption of arsenic through the skin, so at common NH levels, arsenic is often removed only from drinking water. When the level is 250 ppb or higher, the State of NH recommends arsenic treatment for the whole house.  

Your family will need to decide based on your risk profile and desires. Water treatment locations generally fall into two classes. 

• “Point of use” technology removes arsenic at the place where you will be drinking the water, for example, the kitchen. This common approach uses reverse osmosis (RO) technology with the system located either under the kitchen sink or in the basement below the kitchen. The treated water is plumbed to a separate tap at the sink and can also be hooked up to the refrigerator. On higher levels, a cartridge of a specialty media can be added to the RO system. This provides a level of redundancy and assures non-detectable arsenic in the drinking water. 

• With “point of entry,” (whole house) treatment, the system is located near the well pressure tank, where the water enters the home. All water is treated before use. Some people prefer the peace of mind that this offers, especially with young children possibly drinking bath water, and people in the home using the water in the bathroom for toothbrushing and drinking. The trade-off is that costs are higher because system capacity is used for functions such as toilet flushing and clothes washing where the arsenic is not a concern. Technologies for whole-house treatment include adsorption onto specialty media and removal through ion exchange, with a water-softener-like system. 

We can arrange for arsenic testing, we can interpret your results for you, and we can sit down across the kitchen table and help you choose your treatment approach. We only use a third-party lab for arsenic testing as onsite tests are not reliable. There is a nominal fee for arsenic testing due to the lab fees. Get in touch for your in-home water test today.