KSTP recently covered a story on the elevated arsenic levels found in Deephaven, MN well water. As part of the story, they contacted Premier Water as a local water treatment experienced with Arsenic removal.
Due to the high interest in Arsenic testing, Premier Water was able to negotiate FREE ARSENIC TESTS with one of our manufacturers.
Please feel free to call us at (952) 479-4553 to schedule a test.
For those of you looking for more information on available treatment solutions, check out:
A new study found that tens of millions of people in Bangladesh have been exposed to poisonous levels of arsenic from contaminated groundwater. Millions of villagers get their water from private wells that have naturally high levels of arsenic.
The Lancet study found that as many as 77 million people, or half the population of Bangladesh, may have been exposed to toxic levels of arsenic. They followed 12,000 Bangladeshis over the course of 10 years and found more than 20% of deaths were caused by arsenic.
Chronic arsenic exposure can lead to heart disease and cancers of the liver, kidney, bladders and skin—even at relatively low levels of exposure:
Compared to those exposed to the lowest arsenic levels (less than 10 microgrammes of arsenic per litre of water), those with levels of 10-50ppb had a 34% higher risk of death.
The World Health Organization calls this “the largest mass poisoning of a population in history”. But what’s going on in Bangladesh is not unique. More than 70 countries around the world have issues with arsenic in their groundwater including the U.S.
The Minnesota Department of Health has found that 15% of private wells in Minnesota exceed 10ppb of Arsenic as shown on this map:
Minnesota Arsenic levels
Premier Water has a successful track record of removing both Arsenic III and IV with reverse osmosis drinking water systems, and Pureoflow whole-house/business purification systems. Call us at (952) 479-4553 to find out more.
Water is often an out-of-sight, out-of-mind commodity. Cities in Anoka County including Andover, Bethel, Blaine, Centerville, Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Lino Lakes, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey, and St. Francis want residents to start thinking about their drinking water.
As part of the Well Water Wise (3W) program, private well owners are being urged to test their water for coliform bacteria and nitrate nitrogen. While annual tests are recommended, only 470 of the county’s 25,000, or about 0.02% of well owners had their water tested in 2009.
Contamination can cause anything from parasites to stomach aches to cancer. Often, people come forward after an illness that their doctor has linked to drinking water.
In a recent Star Tribune Article, Bart Biernat, a county environmental health specialist said:
“So we have people come in and we ask them, ‘When was the last time you tested your well?’ “And they say, ‘Since we moved in 20 years ago.’ It is the sort of thing where we talk to them and they say, ‘Gee, why didn’t anybody tell me this? I didn’t know I was supposed to test my well.’ ”
Elevated nitrate levels — often caused by fertilizer runoff or human or animal waste — can cause “blue baby syndrome,” a potentially fatal illness in bottle-fed babies. In some studies, long-term exposure has been linked to stomach cancer, Biernat said.
Coliform bacteria, common on the ground but unusual in groundwater, can be an indicator of other, more dangerous contaminants, such as E. coli, also a byproduct of feces in the water. It causes severe stomach illness and can lead to dangerous complications, especially in children.
Those conditions are rare in private wells, Biernat said. But they do happen.
Other tests for arsenic, lead, iron, chloride and total hardness, are also something interested residents should look in to.
Premier Water is a local Twin Cities water treatment company based in Chanhassen, MN. We have helped residents and businesses with private well water problems for over 30 years. We have successfully treated these problems with Backwashing Water Filter Systems, Pureoflow Purification Systems, and under-sink Reverse Osmosis systems.
For more information, please contact us at (952) 479-4553.
The original Star Tribune article can be found here.
After analyzing federal data, the New York Times found that 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years.
That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.
Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred. But regulatory records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials, including those at the Environmental Protection Agency, which has ultimate responsibility for enforcing standards.
Studies indicate that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness within the United States each year.
In some instances, drinking water violations were one-time events, and probably posed little risk. But for hundreds of other systems, illegal contamination persisted for years, records show.
The New York Times has compiled and analyzed millions of records from water systems and regulators around the nation, as part of a series of articles about worsening pollution in American waters, and regulators’ response.
An analysis of E.P.A. data shows that Safe Drinking Water Act violations have occurred in parts of every state.
In the prosperous town of Ramsey, N.J., for instance, drinking water tests since 2004 have detected illegal concentrations of arsenic, a carcinogen, and the dry cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, which has also been linked to cancer.
In New York state, 205 water systems have broken the law by delivering tap water that contained illegal amounts of bacteria since 2004.
However, almost none of those systems were ever punished. Ramsey was not fined for its water violations, for example, though a Ramsey official said that filtration systems have been installed since then. In New York, only three water systems were penalized for bacteria violations, according to federal data.
It is unclear precisely how many American illnesses are linked to contaminated drinking water. Many of the most dangerous contaminants regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act have been tied to diseases like cancer that can take years to develop.
Scientific research indicates that as many as 19 million Americans may become ill each year due to just the parasites, viruses and bacteria in drinking water. Certain types of cancer — such as breast and prostate cancer — have risen over the past 30 years, and research indicates they are likely tied to pollutants like those found in drinking water.
The violations counted by the Times analysis include only situations where residents were exposed to dangerous contaminants, and exclude violations that involved paperwork or other minor problems.
The E.P.A. has reported that more than three million Americans have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water with illegal concentrations of arsenic and radioactive elements, both of which have been linked to cancer at small doses.
In some areas, the amount of radium detected in drinking water was 2,000% higher than the legal limit, according to E.P.A. data.
But federal regulators fined or punished fewer than 8 percent of water systems that violated the arsenic and radioactive standards. The E.P.A., in a statement, said that in a majority of situations, state regulators used informal methods — like providing technical assistance — to help systems that had violated the rules.
Many systems remained out of compliance, even after aid was offered, according to E.P.A. data. And for over a quarter of systems that violated the arsenic or radioactivity standards, there is no record that they were ever contacted by a regulator, even after they sent in paperwork revealing their violations.
Those figures are particularly worrisome, say researchers, because the Safe Drinking Water Act’s limits on arsenic are so weak to begin with.
A system could deliver tap water that puts residents at a 1-in-600 risk of developing bladder cancer from arsenic, and still comply with the law.
We will be sure to follow this story as it continues to develop. There have been 100′s of similar stories over the last decade – a sign that the general public is becoming more concerned about water quality.
Information like this makes a comprehensive water treatment system like the Pureoflow an easy choice when it comes to “piece of mind”. No matter what you start with, the right treatment system can deliver safe, clean drinking water.
