SusanB wrote us recently to ask a question that many people people have probably asked after reading some of the postings here on the Water Testing Blog, but never bothered to ask anyone at the Water Testing Blog…

Your site and many others talk about ‘reverse osmosis‘ water treatment systems all the time but never really explain how they work. Are they just some sort of fancy carbon filter or something? I really want to know because I need to do something about my bad water and if they’re no different, except in price, than a simple carbon filter then I won’t waste my money on one. Can you explain the difference? IS there a difference? Thanks!

Actually, SusanB, we have posted information on Reverse Osmosis Water Filters in the past that addresses most of the questions you asked…

• What is Reverse Osmosis
• How Do Reverse Osmosis Systems Work
• Why Install a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter?
• Where Can I Buy Replacement RO Membranes?

And now, after re-reading our own posts we have decided that we really ought to locate and re-post a more user-friendly definition and explanation of reverse osmosis water filtration.

There are a range of water filtration systems available to today’s consumer to meet the different challenges of raising water quality. Often, a simple activated carbon filter does the trick, but many people have more complicated water problems, and find that they need more complex water filtration systems because of this. A reverse osmosis water filtration system will, in many cases, solve these more advanced problems.

Reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration is a multi-step water filtering process which works slowly but is extremely effective. Reverse osmosis systems are generally used to treat cooking and drinking water supplies. It’s often used in industry but works very well in the home. Reverse osmosis uses the principles of osmosis (in which material passes slowly through a membrane and is concentrated and purified in the process) to produce very clean water.

The first step is that a simple sediment filter is installed and all water to be used passes through it; the filter catches large particles of materials such as rust or calcium carbonate (a compound which is not at all harmful but which isn’t desirable in your drinking and cooking water – it’s commonly used as an antacid). Sometimes a second filter of a similar design, but more fine, is used after the initial filtering. An activated carbon filter traps organic chemicals, and then the RO filter, which is a very fine membrane, is used. It may be helpful to think of all these filters as being similar to sieves with differently-sized holes. Basically, the process of reverse osmosis water filtration would be akin to draining cooked food through a series of increasingly-fine sieves, rather than just emptying the pot into a basic perforated colander. Reverse osmosis water filtration systems, being more complex and increasingly sensitive, can trap far more contaminants than just one simple carbon filter. Some RO systems will, even after the water has passed through the RO membrane, use yet another carbon filter or, alternatively, an ultra-violet lamp, to purify the water even further. The result of all of this filtering is extremely high quality water.

Reverse osmosis is not the most efficient of all water filtration systems, and some have expressed concern about the fact that it takes approximately four gallons of processed water to result in one gallon of clear water. However, its effectiveness makes it a preferred water filtration method for many. Some describe it as “ultrafiltration,” which gives a sense of how powerful RO is. RO results in very pure water. The Water Quality Association says that RO filter systems produce water purity levels as high as 95 percent, which is extraordinary.

The fact remains that reverse osmosis water purification systems remove an astounding range of contaminants from your water. Arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium (hexavalent), chromium (trivalent), copper, lead, nitrate, nitrite, radium 226/228, selenium, iron and TDS are all removed from your water with an RO system.

A reverse osmosis water filtering system is obviously more complicated than a simple carbon-filter water pitcher, but the benefits of its complex design are also obvious. For those who are concerned not merely with the aesthetics of their water – taste – but have more concrete problems with water quality, an RO water filter may be the best solution to your problem. ( source )

Well, SusanB, and everyone else reading this, we hope the information above helped you to understand a little bit more about the ways in which reverse osmosis water filters operate and the benefits they offer. Below you will find links to three popular reverse osmosis water filters units available from WaterFilters.Net.

Even though the USEPA lowered the maximum contaminant level for arsenic in drinking water to 10ppb (parts per billion) several years ago, many people still find themselves plagued by water containing much higher than acceptable levels of arsenic — because they get their water from a private well.

If only one person used and owned the well tainted with arsenic, the responsibility for periodic testing for arsenic in drinking water and remediation of the well water (if needed) would fall on the shoulders of the well owner. Open and shut case.

What happens, though, when a small collection of users share the well and a third party owns the well?

Situations just like that happen all the time and recently some State lawmakers in California have decided to see what they can do to get safe drinking water into the homes of people currently in those situations.

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit and state Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez toured mobile home parks across the eastern Coachella Valley Saturday, to better grasp the widespread problem of arsenic-contaminated groundwater there.

“We’re here to work together to try to solve these problems,” Pérez told about 40 residents at the 80-unit Sunbird park in Thermal. Thousands of east valley residents live in areas that potentially contain hazardous levels of arsenic in their groundwater, a recent Desert Sun report found.

“It’s just a matter of the political will” to provide those residents with safe drinking water, Pérez said.

The strategy likely will involve a mix of short- and long-term water fixes, officials said.

At the 96-unit St. Anthony’s mobile home park in Mecca, officials showed Benoit and Pérez a “reverse-osmosis” filter — resembling a more advanced kind of tap-water purifier — that could be installed at each trailer to remove the arsenic.

The filters, priced around $135 to $300 apiece, could serve as short-term solutions in large parks like St. Anthony’s while valley officials consider a proposed pipeline that will serve many east valley parks roughly from Vista Santa Rosa to Mecca, estimated to cost $22 million.

Such a pipeline is years away, though, given the economic recession and budget deficits, officials said.

The reverse osmosis filters could be a permanent fix for the arsenic woes at smaller, remote parks to the southeast, where it’s not feasible to connect to the Coachella Valley Water District’s water supply, said Sergio Carranza, a longtime advocate for east valley water issues.

…

The local lawmakers also toured Desert Mobile Home Park, known as “Duroville,” where several thousand residents still drink water from wells testing at 26 parts per billion arsenic levels, officials there said. State and federal officials say water testing above 10 parts per billion is unsafe if ingested regularly over decades.

…

After the tour, Benoit and Pérez agreed that to solve the east valley’s arsenic problem, valley officials and water agencies first must unite under a regional water quality board.

That would give the area access to more grants and funding, to help ensure thousands of east valley residents have clean, arsenic-free drinking water, they said.

St. Anthony’s resident Francisco Mendez said he’s lived at the park for about 25 years, and he worries how the park’s arsenic-contaminated water might affect his four children, ages 5 months to 12 years.

Mendez said he was encouraged by the lawmakers’ visit and that safe conditions at the park are long overdue.

“We’re people who work in the fields, in construction,” Mendez said. “We pay taxes. We have rights.” ( source )

It may take a while for programs to get set up for those people and others like them but at least someone with a little political power has taken an interest in their situation. Hopefully the necessary changes in policy (and enforcement) won’t take too long and become a reality.

Testing Your Well Water for Arsenic

we cannot emphasize enough that the responsibility for the quality of the water coming from a private well rests solely with the well’s owner and that public policy set forth by the USEPA in no way, shape or form applies to private wells. In other words, if your well water has arsenic concentrations greater than 10ppb, no one from the government will send you a warning letter telling you about the problem.

The USEPA, health officials, and well water organizations all suggest that well owners have their water tested annually for contaminants — including arsenic.

Options for Arsenic in Well Water Testing

As usual we will tell you that no form of drinking water testing can, or should ever, take the place of drinking water testing performed by a certified water testing laboratory if you have good reason to suspect that dangerous levels of contaminants may have gotten into your water supply.

For all other times though, a simple at-home drinking water test kit from the Arsenic Quick line of field-ready arsenic test kits may work just fine.

Arsenic Quick test kits claim to have the shortest testing time on the market, an independently verified testing procedure, the simplest test instructions, and the safest reagents.

You can find more information about Arsenic Quick test kits on the following web sites:

• www.ArsenicQuick.com
• www.Arsenic-Test-Kit.com

We just got word that our friends over at Filter Water just started carrying a dual filter whole house arsenic filter made by Crystal Quest … and currently have an offer of free shipping on the unit.

Why should you care about arsenic in your drinking water?

Pretty simple answer, really. It can kill you, or at the very least, cause long-term damage to your internal organs.

In a nutshell, arsenic in ground water comes from a reaction between certain types of igneous (volcanic) rock and oxygen when a water table (aquifer) drops. That reaction liberates “free” arsenic and once the water table rises again, that “free” arsenic gets carried away by the water.

As for whether or not arsenic in drinking water can harm a person, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has stated that water systems may NOT dispense drinking water with arsenic in concentrations greater than 10 ppb as of January 2006.

Below please find a brief list of SOME of the illnesses and conditions associated with consuming arsenic in drinking water:

• 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 including death.

For more detailed information on the adverse effects on human health associated with exposure to arsenic, please refer to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry’s Arsenic Assessment.

Additionally, you can information on testing home drinking water for arsenic on this page.

How do you know if you have arsenic in your drinking water?

If you have any reason to suspect that you may have arsenic in your drinking water, we suggest you contact a certified water testing laboratory such as Suburban Water Testing or by contacting the State Certification Officers for Drinking Water Laboratories from your state for a current list of labs. You can find a list of State Certification Officers on this page.

For day-to-day arsenic in drinking water testing, because arsenic levels do fluctuate with heavy/light rain events since large amounts of rain and periods of drought affect aquifer levels, you may want to take a look at the at-home drinking water water test kits for arsenic on the following sites:

• www.ArsenicQuick.com

• www.Arsenic-Test-Kit.com

How does the Crystal Quest Whole House Arsenic Filter Work?

Although we will leave the serious details to the folks over at Filter Water, we can tell you that this system uses multiple stages of filtration, uses an NSF certified component for arsenic removal, and has a separate tank that uses KDF-85, KDF-55 and GAC (granular activated carbon) to remove many other typical and atypical drinking water contaminants.

Click Here for More Information on the Whole House Crystal Quest Arsenic Filter

Going to the tap on the front of the refrigerator instead of the using the faucet may not do you any favors when it comes to filling your glass with better, safer drinking water. The water line running to the tap on your refrigerator typically comes straight from the wall… so the quality of the water coming from the refrigerator will match the quality of the water coming out of any other faucet in your home.

While some newer refrigerators do come with inline filters for water and ice cubes, some do not. Check your manual to see if your refrigerator came with some sort of inline refrigerator water filtration unit. If it did, and you have not changed the filter in a long time — or perhaps ever — you may want to consider doing that real soon.

Some filters do not simply clog up when they become full. Instead, some clogged water filters allow unfiltered water to bypass their filtration media. That unfiltered water winds up floating in your iced tea and/or crystallized in your ice cubes. Not a very appetizing thought, right?

As always, before toy invest in a water filtration system of ANY kind, make sure you get your water tested by a certified water testing laboratory such as Suburban Water Testing Labs, Inc. and perform routine at-home water quality tests to make sure the filtration system you purchased continues to do its job correctly.

Over the past few years we have published a number of articles on the topic of arsenic in drinking water, well water, groundwater, etc. Today we learned that a site dedicated to various arsenic test kits from the Arsenic Quick™ brand has gone ‘live’. You can view it here at www.ArsenicQuick.com.

Below you will find links locations on www.ArsenicQuick.com which contain information about and links to Arsenic Quick™ test kits offered by (3) three different
online merchants: Filters Fast, Filter Water and Test Products.

• Arsenic Quick™ at FilterWater.Com
• Arsenic Quick™ at FiltersFast.Com
• Arsenic Quick™ at TestProducts.Com

   Arsenic Quick™ at FilterWater.Com

Arsenic Quick™ Test Kit 100 Tests

Arsenic Quick™ Test Mini-Kit 2 Tests

   Arsenic Quick™ at FiltersFast.Com

   Arsenic Quick™ at TestProducts.Com

Part Number: 481297-2 Arsenic Quick — 2 Tests	Part Number: 481298 Arsenic Quick — 300 Tests	Part Number: 481300 Arsenic Quick — 5 Tests
Part Number: 481396-2 Arsenic Quick — 2 Tests	Part Number: 481396-5 Arsenic Quick — 5 Tests	Part Number: 481301-5 Arsenic Quick — 5 Tests
Part Number: 481303 Arsenic Quick — 50 Tests	Part Number: 481303-5 Arsenic Quick — 5 Tests	Part Number: 481297-I Arsenic Quick — 50 Tests

Many of the emails we receive ask questions about topics involving testing for metals in drinking water and/or ways to effectively remove metals from drinking water.

Whether listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a serious health concern or just a general nuisance, most people care about only one thing: Testing for metals in drinking water and removing them ASAP!

Commonly asked about metals include…

Questions about other metals such as manganese, copper, chromium and, of course, our dear friend arsenic, also make their way into emails sent through our Contact Us page.

Why the Concern Over Metals in Water?

Health officials unanimously agree that excessive exposure to dissolved metals in water can in many cases lead to serious side effects such as cancer, organ damage, impairment of the nervous system, the development of a life-threatening condition where the immune system attacks its own cells, a reduction in the growth and development of cells, joint problems/diseases, circulatory system problems, and last, but definitely not least… death.

Younger people stand to suffer the effects of exposure to metals more than adults do to their small body masses. In other words, an 8 oz glass of water containing X ppm (parts per million) of heavy metals will result in a much higher dose in a child than it will in an adult who drinks the same glass of water.

Some health officials theorize that very young children and unborn babies whose bodies develop at a rapid pace absorb the metals readily into their systems. Exposure of this nature often results in learning difficulties, damaged nervous systems, memory deficiencies, and even behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and aggressiveness.

More Information on Metals in Water:

• Lead Testing in Humans… Without Needles
• Study Links Manganese Exposure to Cancer
• Chromium in Drinking Water
• Mercury Found in Fish From All 291 US Streams & Rivers Tested
• Filters for Mercury in Drinking Water
• Copper in Drinking Water
• Information About Mercury
• Visual Test Kit for Lead in Paint
• Rust Color in Drinking Water

Now that you’ve tested your drinking water with a water test kit from SenSafe or WaterSafe to get a preliminary idea about the condition of your drinking water, and followed up with a thorough water test performed by a certified water testing laboratory, you may need (or simply want) to get a drinking water filtration system for your home.

In the old days people had to make due with unattractive, bulky water filtration systems sitting on their counters and standard, non-fashionable faucet styles if they wanted a POU (point-of-use) water filtraton system. Not anymore.

Companies like Crystal Quest now manufacture POU water filtration systems that mount neatly out of site under the sink AND good-looking faucets designed specifically to work with them.

Below you will find a selection of Crystal Quest water filtration systems that hook up under the sink. Each filter operates a little differently so make sure you read the descriptions carefully to make sure you choode the perfect Crystal Quest water filter for your water’s needs.

A recent article written by Tom Kane of The River Reporter discussed the details surrounding higher than allowed arsenic levels in drinking water distributed in the Honesdale, Pennsylvania area.

We would like to note, though, that unlike in other situations we have heard about where companies/municipalities either deny or try to pass the blame for high arsenic readings, Aqua Pennsylvania appears to have stepped up to the plate and accepted responsibility for correcting the problem.

HONESDALE, PA — Residents of Honesdale were alarmed when a long article that appeared on the front page of The New York Times on Thursday, December 17 cited the high, illegal levels of arsenic in Honesdale’s drinking water.

The Honesdale water company, Aqua Pennsylvania, was not mentioned in the article itself but was cited on a map of the nation as one of 12 locations that had these unaccepted levels of the dangerous chemical, which can cause cancer. More information that repeated the arsenic levels and six other contaminants that were within legal limits were contained at a link on the Times’ website, www.nytimes.com/water

“The state changed the national chemical level for arsenic about 10 years ago, lowering it and making it stricter,” said Steve E. Clark, Honesdale manager of Aqua Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the legal level of arsenic from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb 10 years ago, making it much stricter and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) now enforces this standard in the state, according to Mark Carmon, DEP spokesman.

Aqua Pennsylvania took over the original Honesdale Water Company last October and has plans to correct the arsenic problem, Clark said.

“The poor levels of arsenic are limited to only one well—the Quarry Well at the top of Brown Street,” he said. “The contamination is occurring naturally and is not the result of any manufacturing or industrial activity.”

According to the Times article, the legal standard for contamination of arsenic set by the Safe Drinking Water Act revealed that the level in Honesdale is around 16 ppb.

“We are in the middle of a construction project for an arsenic treatment plant for that well,” Clark said. Carmon confirmed that the DEP had issued a permit for Aqua to do the work.

The Quarry Well serves about 200 people, he said.

“When we tested the raw water at the well, it was slightly higher than the legal level,” he said. “When we tested the water at the first house that it serves, it was way under.”

Clark said that his staff analysts have evidence that the contamination is caused by things like tree stumps.

Construction of the treatment plant has already begun and should be completed in a few months. ( source )

Since arsenic occurs naturally in the environment, pretty much any ground water can become tainted with arsenic. Periods of heavy rain, periods of drought, earthquakes, volcanic activity, and a host of other natural phenomenon can all result in increased arsenic concentrations in ground water.

For the longest time testing for arsenic in drinking water, or any type of water for that matter, required the use of specialized equipment and somewhat hazardous chemicals as well as a bit of training in a laboratory setting.

The Arsenic Quick™ line of arsenic test kits greatly simplified the arsenic testing process by cutting the number of reagents down to three, using much safer reagents, drastically shortening test times, and removing the need for special glassware and equipment.

Whether you work in a water treatment facility and need to perform regular testing or own a private well and want to make sure the arsenic levels in your drinking water have not risen above the current USEPA Maximum Contaminant Level of 10ppb (parts per billion), definitely take a look at the Arsenic Quick™ test kits.

EPA/ETV Test Verified performance, test times as short as 12 minutes, the safest reagents possible (zinc powder, a food grade acid, monopersulfate), simple test procedures, and the fact that everything a person needs to perform on-the-spot arsenic in water testing comes in a convenient carrying case make Arsenic Quick™ the obvious choice.

We recently came across an article on a TV news station’s web site describing how the Michigan news station had decided to take sample of the local drinking water to a water testing laboratory for testing.

According to the article, residents in the area have a particular interest in finding out if the arsenic levels in their drinking water falls within acceptable Federal guidelines. Apparently local arsenic levels had typically come in around 10ppb to 12ppb and although fine when the EPA deemed arsenic levels below 50ppb acceptable, the EPA’s lowering of the acceptable limit for arsenic in drinking water to 10ppb a few years ago meant some local water systems needed to install remediation devices in order to pass muster.

Now residents want to know if those arsenic removal devices work as planned and ultimately they want to know if they have ’safe’ water to drink.

MIDLAND, BAY CITY, FLINT, HOWELL — The concerns have been everywhere when it comes to water quality. How clean is the water you cook with and drink? Residents along the Saginaw Bay have long been concerned that river dredging might stir up sediment, leading to water contamination. Over the last five years, Genesee County residents have been concerned over high arsenic levels. One way or another, water quality affects your life.

Most drinking water goes through some form of treatment by the time it reaches your faucet. However, changes in allowable arsenic levels through the years, and the potential for other elements to go undetected led us to see what may be in your drinking water.

NBC25 collected samples from a range of MidMichigan areas including Bay City, Midland and Flint. We took those samples to Water Tech Inc. in Howell to see what you may be putting in your body. ( source )

Unfortunately for us, the news station required its web site visitors to ‘tune in tonight’ for the results of the arsenic testing… and we don’t live in Michigan so we cannot tune in as they suggested. We can, however, make suggestions as to how homeowners can perform simple, at-home testing for arsenic in their drinking water. Keep in mind, though, that no at-home test kit for arsenic should ever take the place water analysis by a certified water testing laboratory.

Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 0.010, 0.025, 0.050, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 ppb/cm² (IT-487928) Perform 300 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	IT-487928
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 20 & >20 ppb (481300-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481300-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 & >500 ppb (481396-2) Perform 2 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481396-2
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 & >500 ppb (481396-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481396-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (481303) Perform 50 Tests, Results in 14 Minutes	481303
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (481303-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 14 Minutes	481303-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 40, 45 & >50 ppb (481297-2) Perform 2 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481297-2
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 40, 45 & >50 ppb (481297-I) Perform 50 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481297-I

Once again an article has surfaced that raises the question, “Is there arsenic in your drinking water?” This time the Salisbury Post, a regional newspaper in North Carolina, gives a brief overview of where arsenic comes from and the risks associated with arsenic exposure.

While not the most in-depth article we have ever seen on the topic of arsenic in drinking water, it does hit a lot of high points and cover a lot of important material in a succinct manner.

There may be something lurking in your drinking water that you can’t see, smell or taste and scientists say it could cause diabetes.

The potential danger is arsenic, a metal that naturally occurs in rocks, soil, plants and animals.

Dr. Miroslav Styblo, an associate nutrition professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, spoke to a group Thursday at Catawba College’s Center for the Environment on the link between arsenic and diabetes.

Styblo, a toxicologist, has been conducting studies in Mexico on whether arsenic in drinking water could be a cause of diabetes.

Exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water has been linked to various cancers, including liver and lung, he said. ( source )

For people interested in testing their drinking water for arsenic, we suggest using one of the Arsenic Quick Test Kits. Below we have listed some of their smaller, more affordable field arsenic test kits.

Arsenic in Water Test Kit <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (481303-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 14 Minutes	481303-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 & >500 ppb (481396-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481396-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 20 & >20 ppb (481300-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481300-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 & >500 ppb (481396-2) Perform 2 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481396-2

More on Arsenic and Testing for Arsenic:

• Arsenic in Upstate NY Wells
• Testing Arsenic in Salt/Brackish Water
• Arsenic Exposure Linked to Lower Influenza Resistance
• Testing for Arsenic in Wood and on Playgrounds
• Possible Link Between Arsenic Exposure and Diabetes