Archives for March 2019

Copper is a natural element that is present in the environment. It has a red color and can be found in natural rock, dirt, water sources and even in the air. People use copper for various requirements and it is used to make electrical conduits, coins and piping. Copper is a mineral that is crucial for living beings including humans. We need to ingest it in small amounts through our food for our health & well-being. But historically science has proven that too much copper can be harmful to our body and can cause health issues such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, & diarrhea and long-term issues such as liver & kidney disease have been recorded as well.

The Safe Level of Copper

The body does have a natural way of maintaining the correct balance of copper in our system. But this mechanism is still not developed enough in children and thus they are exposed to excess copper and its toxicity. Patients of Wilson’s disease have the same of issue of controlling their copper levels and are cautious regarding the copper levels in their diets.

The water we drink is one of the main sources that copper enter our bodies. Different water sources have different level of copper in them; some have very low levels while others’ levels are downright toxic. The US Environmental Protection Authority has set up an action level, where the copper found in drinking water should not exceed 1,300 micrograms per liter or 1,300 parts per billion. Anything over this limit is said to be excess and has to be dealt with.

Dangers of Copper Plumbing

One of the ways that excess copper can enter our system is through old copper plumbing. The copper in the pipes can slowly dissolve and enter the water stream and enter an unsuspecting person’s body through their drinking or cooking water. The more time the water stays motionless in copper pipes, the more chance it has of dissolving. The surprising thing is in homes with older copper pipes this issue is less compared to houses with newer copper pipes. This is because a copper oxide coating can form inside pipes overtime, insulating the water from the copper in the pipes.
But if you house has new copper pipes it is advised that if the water in the pipes have not been used for more than 6 hours, for example during the night, the water from the pipes should be cleared out before using it for either drinking or cooking.

It is also known that hot water dissolves copper faster than cold water. So it is highly advised that you do not use hot water coming from copper pipes for drinking and cooking. If you want hot water you will need to take cold water and heat it and it is imperative that you do not use such hot water when making baby food, since babies are much more susceptible to copper toxicity.

If you are concerned about copper level in your drinking water, you can get it tested and see if it exceeds that 1,300 micrograms per liter or 1,300 parts per billion level. Also it is advisable to not to use copper plumbing when building a house in order to lower risks.

The trouble with most drinking water contaminants these days is that it is really hard to see that the water is actually contaminated. Usually we will be able to either to see, smell, or to taste a contaminant very easily and to refrain from drinking it. Yet when your water looks clean, has no smells, and tastes just fine, can you still be sure that your water is uncontaminated? These days, you can never be that sure.

Microbial and organic contaminants cannot always be detected by human senses. You might go years before realizing a problem exists. Many folks never become suspicious until people in the community start to get sick. Water near agricultural areas may contain harmful organic material from pesticide or fertilizer application. Chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers in water may increase cancer risk and reproductive problems, and can impair eye, liver, kidney, and other body functions. Similar problems can result from exposure to water near industrial plants.

There might be a host of organic, inorganic and microbial contaminants in the water that can go undetected by human senses. In the end you might have gone on drinking contaminated water for years before you find out the truth. The sad part is many people don’t realize there is an issue until a person gets sick or shows symptoms but by that time most of the other people who have drunk the same water are affected beyond help as well.
Water sources next to agriculture for example can contain traces of fertilizer or pesticides and sources close to industrial areas can have a whole host of chemicals contaminating them. These sort of contaminants lead to health problems in the digestive system, the reproductive system, can affect the skins, the eyes and the nervous system. Long term exposure can sever issues such as liver disease, kidney disease and even cancer.

Some of the main waterborne contaminants are as follows:

• Aluminum
• Ammonia
• Arsenic
• Barium
• Cadmium
• Chloramine
• Chromium
• Copper
• Fluoride
• Bacteria & Viruses
• Lead
• Nitrates/Nitrites
• Mercury
• Perchlorate
• Radium
• Selenium
• Silver
• Uranium

If you suspect or have even some small doubt that the water that you are drinking could be contaminated there are avenues that you can follow to alleviate those fears. You can take a small water sample to a local laboratory and get it tested or find a local water expert to visit your home/site and conduct an analysis.

How Waterborne Contaminants Affect Your Health

In the US, their Environmental Protection Agency has compiled a list and set standards for over 80 contaminants that can find their way into drinking water and affect the health of people. Depending on the effects they cause these contaminants were divided into two groups.

The first of these are acute effects. These are symptoms that affect people within hours or days after consuming water with a contaminant. These effects happen when people are exposed to sudden high amounts of contaminants in a short period of time. This can occur when there is a toxic spill. Usually it is microbes like bacteria and viruses that have a possibility of reaching high concentration levels very fast in order to create acute symptoms like that.

The significant fact about these contaminants that cause acute symptoms is that they usually don’t have a permanent effect on people. Since most people’s bodies can fight these microbial type contaminants or show symptoms soon enough to get treatment, these are usually fatal. But bear in mind for people with weaker immune systems these levels of contaminants levels can sometimes be fatal.

The other type is chronic effects. These can affect people who take in water sullied by contaminants which exceed the contamination levels set up by the EPA. These are usually caused by chemicals (such as solvents & pesticides) released into the environment from sources such as industrial sites and agricultural areas or by certain minerals such as arsenic that can be released to the ground water through natural deposits. Most of these contaminants can lead to sever health crisis such as liver disease, kidney disease and even cancer.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that is found in different places on the earth. It is present in the dirt, in the water and even in the air. Some of it can even be found in our drinking water. Arsenic is present in its inorganic form in various countries around the world, including the US and China. Most of these countries have higher arsenic content in their water because of the bedrocks in those specific areas. Even though the rock and soil formations in an area has an effect on the arsenic contamination levels in drinking water, industrial and pollution has an equal effect.

During a study done by the US Centers for Disease Control had mentioned that every year certain industries and factories in the United States release thousands of pounds of the element into the air in semi-metallic form. The same report went on to mention that the released arsenic will stay in the environment for a long time and overtime that arsenic is captured from the air through rain and snow and it returns back to the land. Eventually that arsenic will enter the ground water and contaminate it.

Consequences of Arsenic Contamination

Arsenic does not have any color, taste or odor. Because of this it can enter the body without getting detected and harm it. The initial symptoms can be stomach aches, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, discoloring skin, numb limbs and can even lead to paralysis & blindness.

Long-term exposure to arsenic, which can happen either due to drinking water contaminated with arsenic or the ingestion of food cooked with arsenic contaminated water has the possibility to end up with chronic arsenic poisoning. As the World Health Organization states this can lead to skin lesions and skin cancer which are the main symptoms.

A 2000 US study done by the country’s Natural Resources Defense Council discovered that over 55 million people in 25 of their states have a high risk of cancer due to drinking water contaminated with arsenic. These numbers have said to be reduced over the last few years due to their Environmental protection agency changing the regulations regarding arsenic control, but they are still concerned about the arsenic levels prevalent today.

How to Remove Arsenic from Water

With Arsenic being such a huge threat to human health, there is a lot of interest as to how to remove arsenic from water. A normal carbon filter that would work with other contaminants such as pesticides, chlorine or pollen will not work with a contaminant such as arsenic. This process will require a water filtration system that is as advanced as a Reverse Osmosis System or an even advanced one.

A Reverse Osmosis System uses a process where high pressure water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane. This captures the contaminants and filters out clear & pure healthy drinking water. The effectiveness of the membrane might be reduced over time but with regular maintenance your RO system will continue to filter out the arsenic out of the water as normal.