Know Your Number!

Knowing how much arsenic is in your family's drinking water is important because arsenic in drinking water is very common in Alaska, and is harmful to humans. When you know how much arsenic is in the water, then you can make informed decisions about treating it. For example: if your arsenic level is high, you can easily remove it, and if the level is low, then you know your family isn't in danger if getting ill.

Basic Arsenic Facts

Arsenic is Naturally Occuring: Arsenic is a semi-metal element in the periodic table. It is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices.

Effects of Ingesting Arsenic: The EPA says non-cancer effects can include thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting; diarrhea; numbness in hands and feet; partial paralysis; and blindness. Arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate.

Human exposure to arsenic can cause both short and long term health effects. Short or acute effects can occur within hours or days of exposure. Long or chronic effects occur over many years. Long term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver and prostate. Short term exposure to high doses of arsenic can cause other adverse health effects, but such effects are unlikely to occur from U.S. public water supplies that are in compliance with the arsenic standard.

Many water supplies in Alaska, especially private wells, do not meet the 10 parts per billion standard set forth by the EPA.

We are currently working on compiling our arsenic data to provide a map that shows where we know arsenic to be. Something to keep in mind about this: arsenic deposits can happen at different well depths, different areas, and even if your neighbor has arsenic you may not. It's very spotty, and the complete data isn't available, but our map shows where we know arsenic to have been found.



How to Test My Water

When it comes to contaminants such as arsenic, you'll want to have your water tested by a laboratory for an accurate measurment. We recommend Analytica Test Labs for this sort of testing. Visit us at the Parks and Lucus store to pick up the test bottle. Arsenic testing through Analytica is $43 and takes ten days for the results.



I Got My Results Now What?

Now that you have your test results, you can decide what to do next. The EPA recommends that the level of arsenic in water does not exceed 10ppb (parts per billion or 10 ug/L). If your results are:
1. Above Ten: You definitely want to think about investing in some sort of arsenic removal system. You have two basic choices: Filter all of the water for the house, or filter just your drinking water. We can discuss these treatment options with you in depth, just give us a call or stop by our store.
2. Below Ten: The EPA says this level should be safe. Not everyone feels that way. Some homeowners say they don't want ANY arsenic in their water, and they install an arsenic removal system to deal with that. If you feel comfortable about the level, that's great too.

The best part about "Knowing Your Number" is that you are able to make informed decisions about your family's drinking water.



Basic Arsenic Treatment

Recent news articles have made it seem as though basic arsenic removal isn't available at an afforadable price. This is not so! Our systems start at $395 and it's worth it!
Below is a summary of the basic types of arsenic removal avaiable:

  • The most popular form of arsenic filtration is Reverse Osmosis. Reverse Osmosis drinking water systems are great because they remove up to 95% of ALL contaminants in your water, leaving your tap water better than bottled water quality. Drinking water systems start at $395, and annual maintenance is less than $80. Drinking water systems actually end up saving you money on bottled water!
  • Simple arsenic filters are easy to install and work well to remove arsenic from drinking water. These filters are .5 micron (very small) and need to be replaced every one thousand gallons. These filter systems start at $515.
  • Whole house filters work well for families that are concerned with removing arsenic from all of the water in the house, not just drinking water. These systems start at $3195 and can eliminate most arsenic from the water.