Remaining Arsenic Compliant

The removal of arsenic from drinking water is of critical importance to human health. Arsenic exists naturally in many groundwater supplies across the world and in the United States. As most water supply professionals are aware, there are many different forms of arsenic. Some of it is extremely hazardous to your health and its presence must be addressed. Other forms are present in food naturally. When it is present in water and the land, food prepared or irrigated with this water often leads to unacceptable concentrations of the toxin in humans. These metal levels eventually lead to the degradation of various organs, especially the skin.

Food and Drink

Independent well owners or agricultural developers should be extremely a wary of arsenic content in their water supply. The trend over the last several decades has been the tightening of standards with regards to this pollutant. It's likely, considering the research on toxicity and strengthening scientific links all of arsenic with long-term health conditions, that government mandated arsenic tolerances will only continue to drop. Therefore, it's not only the ethical thing to do to make sure your arsenic treatment and removal systems are the highest quality available, but it also allows you to normalize operating costs over the long term and take advantage of tax benefits associated with ownership of machinery. This will help your operations avoid cash flow problems that occur when large arsenic removal equipment purchases are unexpectedly necessitated by the tightening of environmental standards.

Effects on Health

There's a good explanation for the decreasing tolerance for arsenic in water supplies. Chronic conditions associated with arsenic are most commonly hardening of the skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. This only takes place after long periods of exposure, such as five years or more. This condition is often a precursor to a specific type of skin cancer. There are also other effects of arsenic, such as concerns about prenatal health, reduced cognitive development and myocardial infarctions.

Prevention

The main tool used to combat these conditions and all of the other medical issues associated with arsenic toxicity is arsenic removal. That's because whereas it's very difficult to treat individuals or populations with these conditions, it's a relatively simple matter to install efficient filtration systems at the source of the problem. There are a variety of technologies to choose from, each addressing the limitations of certain sites. All types of incoming water chemistry, temperature, pressure and any total required volume can be addressed with the right configuration of applications.

Choosing the right method is important to both the health of your business and that of the community you serve. If you need to remove trace arsenic when in the presence of large amounts of iron, an oxidation method is recommended. This also improves drinkability of water by removing hydrogen sulfide. Adsorption methods and coagulation methods each have benefits as primary treatment technologies, as they remove heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. Examine your goals and the health needs of your community, and make sure to contact a trusted provider of arsenic removal technology for information about operating costs, capital investment amounts and performance specifications.

Kevin Smith is a writer and an avid reader. He writes about business, marketing, health, pets, or relationships etc.