On August 19, the American Medical Association published the results of a medical study involving the medical records of just under 800 Americans. They concluded that a link exists between exposure to arsenic and a specific type of diabetes. They could not, however, pin down what type of exposure (by air, soil, water, etc.) caused the diabetes.

Study: Possible diabetes link to arsenic in water

“CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — A new analysis of government data is the first to link low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, with type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

The study’s limitations make more research necessary. And public water systems were on their way to meeting tougher U.S. arsenic standards as the data were collected.

Still, the analysis of 788 adults’ medical tests found a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine compared with people with even lower levels.

Research outside the United States has linked high levels of arsenic in drinking water with diabetes. It’s the link at low levels that’s new.” ( source )

Announcements about arsenic in water such as this one by the American Medical Association serve as strong, compelling proof that the amount of arsenic in our drinking water does matter and that it needs monitoring at regular intervals.

Fact: Arsenic levels in groundwater change as the water table rises and falls.

Fact: Operators of public water systems must test the arsenic levels in the drinking water they produce and report those levels to the Government on a very regular basis — or face serious legal and financial consequences.

Fact: Owners of private wells have no compelling legal reason to test their water for arsenic or that matter, anything. Responsibility for the safety of their drinking water lies squarely in their laps.

Given that arsenic levels may vary greatly from week to week and possibly even day to day, Water Testing Blog suggest that owners of private well heed the advice of organizations such as the National Ground Water Association and the United States Environmental Protection Agency and test their well water (or get their well water tested by a certified lab) at least once a year — and definitely make arsenic testing a part of that routine.

Home Drinking Water Test Kits for Arsenic

While do-it-yourself home drinking water test kits for arsenic such as the EPA/ETV Test Verified^® Arsenic Quick^TM do not take the place of water tests performed by certified laboratories, they do provide fast, reliable results in the field and work quite well as on-site screening tools for arsenic in drinking water.

• 481396-2, Arsenic Quick, 0 - 500 ppb, 12 minute test time, 2 tests
• 481396-5, Arsenic Quick, 0 - 500 ppb, 12 minute test time, 5 tests
• 481297-2, Arsenic Low Range Quick, 2 - 300 ppb, 12 minute test time, 2 tests
• 481303-5, Arsenic Quick II, 1 - 160 ppb, 14 minute test time, 5 tests

If You Can Visually Detect Problems With Well Water…

• Scale or ’scum line’ from too many from calcium or magnesium salts in water. total hardness test kit
• Unclear, murky or turbid water caused by suspended solids such as dirt, clay salts, silt or rust in water. tds test kit | tds meter
• Green stains forming on sinks or faucets as a result of high acidity. pH test kit
• Brown-red stains forming on sinks and fixtures, in the dishwasher, or on washed clothes may indicate the presence of dissolved iron in water. total iron test kit
• Initially cloudy water that clears up completely if allowed to sit undisturbed for a few minutes may have had fine/small air bubbles injected in it by a poorly working pump or because of a problem with filters.

If an Unusual or New Taste is Detected in Well Water…

• A salty or brackish taste in the water typically results from a high sodium content. chloride test kit
• Presence of an alkali/soapy taste may come from dissolved alkaline minerals in water.
• Acidity or a high iron content may result in a metallic taste. pH test kit | total iron test kit
• Chemical tastes are known to come from industrial chemicals or pesticides. pesticides test kit

If an Unusual or New Odor is Detected in Well Water…

• A rotten egg odor may be the result of dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas or certain types of bacteria in your water. Note, though, that if you only notice the smell coming from hot water, it is more than likely coming from a part in your hot water heater. hydrogen sulfide test kit
• You may notice a detergent odor and/or foaming water of seepage from septic tanks has gotten into your well.
• A gasoline or oil smell indicates (obviously) that some form of fuel oil or gasoline has found its way from a tank into the water supply.
• Decaying organic matter can result in a methane gas or musty/earthy smell coming from the water.
• Excessive chlorination of a well, or not waiting long enough after shocking a well with chlorine (obviously) results in a chlorine smell coming from the water. free chlorine test kit | total chlorine test kit

As always, if you suspect that your well has gotten contaminated in any way, always consult with a trained water professional. Do-it-yourself home water test kits like Well Water Check, COMPLETE Water Test Kit and the Drinking Water Test Kit serve as excellent screening tools but they do NOT have the same amount of accuracy as the results you can get from a certified water testing laboratory. It’s your well, your water, and ultimately — your life.

Although one would normally only find bacteria strains such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium in surface waters such as rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, etc., they can contaminate a well during a flood.

• Symptoms shown by a person afflicted by Giardia include, but may not be limited to, diarrhea, fatigue, and cramps.
• Symptoms shown by a person afflicted by Cryptosporidium include, but may not be limited to, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. Additionally, this type of bacteria resists many common disinfection methods quite well.

note: Individuals with suppressed or compromised immune systems may exhibit worse symptoms for longer periods of time than peole with ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’ immune systems.

The best way to guarantee the safety of your water after a flood means getting the water tested by certified water professionals. Home water test kits for bacteria serve as excellent maintenance tools for checking the bacteria levels of well water, but in the event of an actual ‘incident’ such as a flood, which may have caused the contamination of your drinking water, always seek the advice and assistance of Water Quality Experts in your area.

Locating Certified Drinking Water Laboratories

The United States Environmental Protection Agency suggests you contact the State Certification Officer for Drinking Water Laboratories for your state.

Click here to access a list of contact phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses for State Certification Officer for Drinking Water Laboratories on the United States Environmental Protection Agency web site.

Several membsers of the Water Testing Blog staff have spoken with members of the military, both currently enlisted and recently discharged, and found out that some soldiers do not have access to simple, efficient tools they can use to test potential drinking water while deployed in foregin countries.

In most cases they carry packets of sanitizing/disinfecting tablets which they can use to put into their canteens to kill off bacteria, but what about lead, arsenic, cyanide and other items which can EASILY render an entire unit inoperable and take them away from their assigned duties?

Thankfully US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps medical units deployed around the globe now have the ability to make use of simple water quality test kits which give them the ability to read basic water quality parameters quickly and easily.

Arsenic in Water and Soil: Arsenic Quick^TM

Bacteria in Water: Bacteria Check

Chlorine Residual (Free): SenSafe^TM Free Chlorine Water Check

Chlorine Residual (Total): SenSafe^TM Total Chlorine Water Check

Cyanide in Water: Cyanide ReagentStrip^TM

DPD-1 and DPD-4 (Chlorine Testing): eXact DPD ReagentStrips^TM

Lead in Water: Lead in Water Test Kit

Multi Parameter (6 Parameters): Well Water Check

Multi Parameter (11 Parameters): Well Driller Standard Water Test Kit

Multi Parameter (13 Parameters): COMPLETE Water Test Kit

Multi Parameter (15 Parameters): Water Quality Test Kit

Most of us know how badly we feel after ‘a night on the town’ filled with margaritas, martinis, cocktails and body shots because of dehydration. Now try to imagine how our soldiers must feel after a few MONTHS in the desert wearing full combat gear.

Safe drinking water means safer soldiers.

The majority of people in the United States already know that our country sends a lot of aid to foreign countries in the form of water purifiers and water quality test kits in the wake of heavy rains or other natural disasters which result in massive flooding… and now we must turn our attention to the plight of millions of Americans whose homes, neighborhoods, schools and places of business have fallen victim to the mighty power of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

As flood waters begin to recede back towards the river banks which once held them in place, the returning residents of recently flooded areas face seemingly endless hours of cleaning, millions of dollars in property damages… and uncertainty as to what sort of contaminants the flood waters have left on their lawns, on their roads, and in their wells.

The same millions of gallons of river water which burst through levees also tore through landfills, soaked up runoff/drainage from septic systems, picked up debris from swere systems, scrapped up trash from the streets, and carried the carcasses of countless animals and bugs whose lives it claimed.

Large amounts of that ‘dirty’ water may have found its way down into aquifers through open wells and other means so now the water getting pulled from wells could contain any number of natural and/or manmade chemicals.

Individuals and companies looking to perform multiple tests on numerous water sources may want to consider picking up a water testing kit like the Well Drillers’ Master Kit, as it contains a good number of tests for items which can have and adverse effect on human health:

Well Drillers’ Master Water Test Kit

Each Well Drillers’ Master Water Testing Kit contains:

• 50 Free Chlorine Test Strips
• 50 Ultra Low Total Chlorine Test Strips
• 50 Hydrogen Sulfide Test Strips
• 50 Total Hardness Test Strips
• 50 Nitrate/Nitrite Test Strips
• 50 pH Test Strips
• 24 Manganese Tests
• 50 Water Metals Test Strips
• 10 Arsenic Test Strips
• 50 Iron Tests
• 50 Copper Test Strips
• 2 Lead in Water Tests
• 2 Pesticide Tests
• 1 bottle of Bacteria Test

Full kits, refills, and extra tests for each parameter can be ordered independently and in small quantities through the Industrial Test Systems, Inc. web site.

For the longest time pool and spa owners had to rely on the chemical testing skills and expertise of their local pool and spa professionals but those days have passed. Now homeowners can test their own pool and spa water for metals — without having to take a year’s worth of chemistry courses!

* The Pool Check^TM Copper test strips offer fast, accurate test results for copper, pH and alkalinity at a reasonable cost.

* The Pool Check^TM Pro Metals test strips offer fast, accurate semiquantitative test results for ‘all’ metals at once. It does not specify which metal(s) it detects, but it does give pool owners a better idea of how much staining potential their pool water has.

* The eXact^R EZ pool and spa testing meter tests for many parameters including iron and copper.

* Other testing methods include using ‘wet’ chemistry kits from companies like Lamotte and Taylor, but they typically involve slightly more advanced testing techniques such as titrations. Wet kits also make use of messy liquids, difficult to dissolve tablets, and awkward powder pillows.

For those who suspect that their source water contains metals, the SenSafe^TM Metals Check test strip will work quite well. It detects the metals commonly found in tap water and well water and provides accurate metals testing results in under 3 minutes.

Can Metals Stains in Pools be Removed?

For the most part, yes. The task will take effort, though, in some cases.

Vinyl liners typically resist staining quite well but the stains that do set in will not come off without a fight. Pool owners must use sequestering compounds and/or chelating compounds which attach themselves to the metal stains/deposits and more or less pull them back into solution.

Owners of concrete and gunite pools suffer even worse fates when it comes to metals staining. Typically they must wash the stains away using diluted muriatic acid — and in some cases that means draining the pool completely before they can begin.

Due to the annoyance, expense and inconvenience associated with the removal of metals stains from pool liners and plastic fixtures, swimming pool professionals recommend testing for metals on a regular basis if the pool has a heater, uses a copper or silver ionizer, or has recently had water added to it that may have contained dissolved metals.

May 30, 2008: A local paper in Odessa, TX reported that officials began testing water a few years back and found elevated levels of nitrates in private wells in the East 67th Street area. With no obvious fertilization due to farming in the area, officials determined that the elevated nitrate levels found in the well water they tested most likely came malfunctioning septic systems.

The article went on to warn that homeowners with septic systems located too close to wells have a greater risk of contamination, but that malfunctioning septic systems, regardless of proximity to the well, can still leach nitrates into the aquifers which provide water to wells not located too close to septic systems.

Owners of private wells, as noted in the article, do NOT have to test their wells with any frequency. No laws or regulations exist that force private well testing and as a result, many private well owners do not test their well water unless a specific problem develops — and usually that problem comes in the form of an unexplainable illness illness in the family or a sudden(?) malfunctioning of their well equipment.

Dangers of Nitrates in Drinking Water?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency states the following with regard to the dangers of nitrates in drinking water:

“Short-term: Excessive levels of nitrate in drinking water have caused serious illness and sometimes death. The serious illness in infants is due to the conversion of nitrate to nitrite by the body, which can interfere with the oxygen-carrying capacity of the childs blood. This can be an acute condition in which health deteriorates rapidly over a period of days. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin.” ( source )

“Long-term: Nitrates and nitrites have the potential to cause the following effects from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: diuresis, increased starchy deposits and hemorrhaging of the spleen.” ( source )

Testing for Nitrates?

First of all, the Maximum Contaminant Level for Nitrates (as Nitrogen) in drinking water is 10.0 ppm (mg/L). This means water distributed for human consumption from ANY source should not contain more than 10.0 ppm (mg/L) of Nitrates (measured as Nitrogen).

Well owners, or pretty much anyone who wants to test for Nitrates can use a simple Nitrate Test Strips for that purpose and get accurate test results in just over a minute. This product also gives a reading for Nitrites, which also pose a health risk to humans. The Maximum Contaminant Level for Nitrites (as Nitrogen) in drinking water is 1.0 ppm (mg/L)

National Ground Water Association (NGWA) recommendations for well water testing, according to WellOwners.Org, suggests that well owners perform testing on their wells at specific times and also at other times for a variety of reasons:

• Annually for bacteria, nitrates/nitrites, and any contaminants of local concern
• More frequently than once a year if there is a change in the taste, odor, or appearance of the well water, or if a problem occurs such as a broken well cap or a new contamination source
• If family members or houseguests have recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness
• If an infant is living in the home
• To monitor the efficiency and performance of home water treatment equipment

The experts at WellOwners.Org go on to say: “You should also check with your local health or environmental health department for recommendations regarding the type and frequency of testing specific to your location.”

Note: The reasons listed above represent just a few of the possible reasons that might cause a well owner to get the water quality of the water from their well checked. Other reasons exist. The responsibility of making sure well water remains safe for human consumption and use lies with the well owner, not a brief list of reasons like the one above. The Water Testing Blog provides information designed to aid those interested in water testing, not diagnose and troubleshoot every possible water quality issue.

When choosing a certified well water contractor or certified well water contractor to examine your well for safety and operational issues, you may want to consider someor all of the following criteria before making your final decision:

• Licensing: Do the well water contractors on your list have valid licenses to perform the work you need or want them to perform?
• Certifications: Have the well water contractors on your list gone through accredited certification programs with an organization such as the National Ground Water Association (NGWA)?
• Well Logs: Do the well water contractors on your list keep records of the geological formations their boreholes (in this case holes used for wells) go through?
• Equipment: How contemporary is their equipment? Do they have the proper equipment to drill in your area or service the type and condition of the well you own?
• Insurance: Should something go terribly wrong while working on the well on your property, do the contractors on your list carry the right types of insurance coverage and have enough liability and worker’s compensation to protect you?
• Knowledge of Health/Safety Codes: It makes no sense to hire a well water contractor who lacks sufficient knowledge of the applicable health and safety codes pertaining to wells, well water and the drilling of a well.
• Reputation: Can the well water contractors on your list provide you with recent, credible references attesting to the quality of service they provide?
• Written Contract: Will the well water contractors on your list provide you with a written contract up-front which tells you the specific terms and conditions of the work they intend to provide?
• Stickers: Sounds silly, but do the well water contractors on your list proudly display the membership stickers of the organizations to which they belong on their vehicles? And if so, what years do those stickers say? Current members of organizations like the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and others typically have access to the latest information on the ground/well water industry, well drilling and well servicing techniques, etc.

While careful consideration of the above criteria will not guarantee the reliability of the well water contractor you choose, it will help weed out many of the less than ethical well water contractors whose business practices could put your family’s saftey at risk.

Remember: It’s your well and your continual responsibility to make sure the water coming out of that well remains balanced, bacteria-free, and safe for consumption.

Changes in aquifer levels and the quality of the water they provide occur quite frequently. While not all the changes in those two things prove harmful to humans or damaging to plumbing, equipment and fixtures, experts do suggest having your water professionally tested on an annual basis.

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) suggests the following:

“NGWA recommends routine annual maintenance checks to ensure the proper operation of the well and prolong its years of service as well as to monitor water quality. NGWA also recommends that you test your water whenever there is a change in taste, odor, or appearance, or when the system is serviced.”

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) goes on to specify that well owners should try to use only the services of licensed/certified well water contractors.

With regard to the parameters the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) believes a well owner ought to test on a yearly basis, they give the following advice:

“A test of water for coliform bacteria and nitrates, and anything else of local concern. Other typical additional tests are those for iron, manganese, water hardness, sulfides, and other water constituents that cause problems with plumbing, staining, water appearance, and odor. Changes in these constituents also may indicate changes in your well or local ground water. Additional tests may be recommended if water appears cloudy or oily, if bacterial growth is visible on fixtures, or water treatment devices are not working as they should. Check with your water well contractor, state department of natural resources, or local health department for information on local water quality issues.”

How Can I Find a Certified Well Water Contractor in My Area?

Try using the NGWA Certified Well Water Contractor Lookup tool or you can also find a listing of certified water testing labs in your area on the Environmental Protection Agency Safe Water web site.

So Certified Well Water Testing Once a Year is Enough?

Well water testing ought to take place at least once a year and well owners should use professionally certified personnel for that purpose. That does NOT mean, however, that well owners ought to let their guard down the rest of the year.

Owning a well implies responsibility for the quality of the water coming out of the well so well owners may want to consider using simple, do-it-yourself home well water test kits from time-to-time as a secondary means of checking the quality of their well water.

While home well water test kits cannot and should NEVER take the place of the annual testing done by professionally certified well contractors, they do offer well owners additional peace of mind when used in conjunction with professional well water testing.

You can use the following links to find home well water test kits for the following parameters:

• coliform bacteria
• nitrates/nitrites
• total iron
• manganese
• water hardness
• sulfides
• pH
• total alkalinity

Home Well Water Coliform Bacteria Test Kit

Well owners may also want to consider using multi-paramater home and well and water test kits such as:

• Well Water Check
• COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit
• Home Water Quality Test Kit

Home and Well Water Test Kit

To Recap:  The responsibility of making sure the water from your well poses no danger to you or anyone else rests solely in your hands. . . and you DO wash your hands to make sure they’re clean before you eat, so shouldn’t you make sure your well is clean before you drink from it?