Bernie-school arsenic

[Guest guest]

Our sons school brings in bottled water to drink because the water system (well)

is too high in arsenic. This was discovered 4 or 5 years ago. They still use

this arsenic water throughout the plumbing and students/staff wash with it.

Would there be a way to determine what exposure in this manner would be unsafe?

Is there an accepted level of toxicity ie. ppm?

[Guest guest]

Our sons school brings in bottled water to drink because the water

system (well) is too high in arsenic. This was discovered 4 or 5 years

ago. They still use this arsenic water throughout the plumbing and

students/staff wash with it. Would there be a way to determine what

exposure in this manner would be unsafe? Is there an accepted level of

toxicity ie. ppm?

***************

There is a drinking water standard(EPA web site) that is fairly

easy to find by search. I'm pretty sure I would have it at work.

Knowing the standard is a start, but doesn't really answer what you are

interested in.

Apparently, the level is above the EPA standard for drinking water- for

which assumptions are made in setting it.

I suspect that in this case, the standard looked at how much arsenic

exposure one would get in drinking 8 glasses of water a day.

but people get exposures other than drinking, that likely

weren't considered and that is what you are really interested in

here. For some things that are volatile like TCE,PCE,benzene, mercury

vapor, some organic mercruy, etc. one gets much more exposure from

taking a shower than drinking 8 glasses of water. We also absorb

chemicals readily through the skin, so that is an exposure pathway.

Although I don't think arsenic is very volatile, the water its in is, so

one might get some exposure through the lungs in a shower and some by

direct contact. Maybe a little volatile in toilets, some from contact

while washing hands. But I'd be surprized if

one gets much exposure without drinking or showering.

Bernie