Heavy metal poisoning...

It sounds like something older folks say younger people get while listening to Slayer, Megadeth and other heavy metal bands, but it actually deals with what happens to the human body when exposed to higher than normal levels of metals like  copper, manganese, cadmium, zinc, thallium, mercury, arsenic, gold, silver, iron, lead, etc.

Heavy metals poisoning occurs when toxic levels of metals accumulate in the body's soft tissue.  A number of heavy metals such as zinc, copper, chromium, iron and manganese play critical roles in keeping the body functioning properly BUT if ingested in high enough quantities those previously beneficial metals become toxins in the body and may cause serious, sometimes irreversible damage... which may culminate in serious illness or death.

Most often incidents of heavy metal poisoning in humans result from overexposure to metals like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium.  Exposure may have happened as a result of on-the-job exposure, accidental ingesting of contaminated water and/or air, tainted foods, improperly prepared medicines, food and beverage container liners, and the ever popular hobby of eating lead paint chips.

How much metal is TOO much metal in my drinking water?

It varies by contaminant and for more specific information on this topic we suggest checking out the  EPA's Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards.  Those lists break down contaminants into two categories:  1) Potentially damaging to health; 2) Potentially damaging for aesthetic (taste, odor, discoloration, etc.) reasons.

Removal of metals from drinking water

Before purchasing a water quality improvement system (AKA: a water filter) one should always have their water tested either using at-home water quality test kits or by a certified water testing laboratory.  Companies such as National Testing Laboratories offer mail-in water testing packages and typically provide results in 7 to 10 business days.

Total Copper in Water Test

Chromium in Water Test

Mercury in Water Test

Should you wake up one day to alarmist stories about lead in YOUR drinking water, hopefully the following pieces of advice will help.

• Lead and other heavy metals leach out of plumbing, fixtures, etc. and accumulate in stagnant water so before you get a glass of water, put water in a pan for cooking, or make a bottle of baby formula… Run the water for a few minutes to flush out any lead that may have entered the water. For those concerned about the environmental impact(s) of running water for a few minutes before use, collect the water and use it to water the plants (just not in your vegetable garden!).
   
• Unlike commonly found forms of bacteria in drinking water which become inactive (aka: die) when water gets boiled, lead does NOT go away and, in fact, boiling water that contains lead or any other metal actually results in higher concentrations in the water after it gets boiled.
   
• When using water for consumption purposes (i.e. drinking, cooking, making baby bottles, watering pets, etc.), always use the cold water option. Colder water absorbs metals at a slower rate than warm or hot water.
   
• Most faucets these days come equipped with aerators (some people refer to them as ‘strainers’) and these devices can accumulate lead and other unwanted contaminants over time. We suggest that you periodically remove the aerators and clean them.
   
• If the source of lead in water cannot get removed (i.e. ripping out your home’s plumbing and replacing it all) or the source comes from older supply lines belonging to the city, then installing a water treatment system (water filter) may make sense. Definitely check to make sure whatever system you choose has certifications for the removal and reduction of lead and any other unwanted drinking water contaminants in your water supply. Not all filters remove all contaminants!

After all… Starting a meal in a clean kitchen makes more sense than starting one in a dirty one, right?

• Keep Your Hands Clean at All Times — This point should go without saying, but all too often people will get caught up in the moment of rushing to get a meal prepared an forget to properly cleanse their hands between cooking steps — especially between steps involving the handling of raw meat(s).

  Make sure you get between the fingers, under the nails, a little bit up the arms, etc. Warm, soapy water for about 20 to 30 seconds may slow down your food prep time, yes, but it will go a long way toward keeping your foods contaminant free! A Food hygiene course will apprise you more on how to keep food fresh for a long time.

  Also, keep a fresh, clean towel available for drying your hands and do not use it for any other purpose.

• Keep Work Surfaces Free, Clean and Clear — Make sure food prep surfaces get cleaned often and with hot, soapy water — especially after activities involving raw foods or if something spills accidentally.

  Remove all non-essential items (i.e. yesterday’s mail, newspapers, pocketbooks, keys, pruning shears, kids’ toys, etc.) from the work area.

• Remember to Clean the Handles — While preparing a meal you will touch things like drawer handles, drawers, refrigerator/freezer handles, stove knobs, etc. so clean those, as well.
• Do the Dishes Right Away — Dishes left sitting overnight (or for longer… ahem. You know who you are.) serve as breeding grounds for all sort of bacteria. As soon as possible, wash all utensils, dishes, pots, pans, etc. in hot, soapy water and do not forget to rinse off residual soap bubbles which may hold unwanted bacteria.
• No Spaces for Bacteria to Hide — Chips in plates, cups and china as well as deep cuts or nicks in cutting boards work well as hiding spots for bacteria… since surface cleaning cannot reach into the marks or chips.
• Dishcloths and Sponges Do Not Last Forever — And they certainly do not stay clean forever, either! Swap out for new, clean dishcloths regularly. Sames goes for kitchen sponges. Both, after use, sit in a damp condition… perfect for the growth of bacteria.

  Regular hot cycle washing of dishcloths and kitchen towels and bleach water-cleaning of sponges helps to keep bacteria at bay

• Wipe Out Spills and Splatters — Clean up spills and food/grease splatters immediately using hot, soapy water. The same goes for any accidental spills or food smears on and/or in the refrigerator or freezer.

  Covering foods (loosely w/ a paper towel or napkin) when heated in microwaves greatly reduces the number of splatters that occur, but inevitably some do escape… and should get cleaned up right away using hot, soapy water.

If done right, proper cooking techniques coupled with adequate food safety precautions can make everyone happy!

The report gave details about what it considered serious drinking water contamination by oil production in an area called East Poplar, Montana.

Contaminated with WHAT?

The USGS found that nearly 18 square miles of shallow aquifers in the area contained brine (also called brine water by some), a known by-product of the oil production industry. Aside from its very salty nature, brine from oil production may also contain unwanted drinking water contaminants such as hydrocarbons, metals, and radioactive material from deep in the Earth (that occurs naturally).

A few more facts about the contaminated groundwater situation in Poplar, MT:

• The City of Poplar depends exclusively on the water from the aquifers and has approximately 3,000 residents.
   
• The USGS suspects that between 15 and 37 billion gallons of awater in the aquifers may contain brine produced by the oil industry’s operations in the region.
   
• To deal w/ the contaminated groundwater problem, the city had a pipeline from the Missouri River constructed.
   
• Financially, it made more sense for Poplar to build a pipeline from an external water source than begin the arduous, extremely expensive and sometimes considered ‘impossible’ task of cleaning up its contaminated groundwater
   
• During the course of its research, the USGS uncovered documented suspicions of groundwater contamination in records dated as far back as the 1950’s
   
• USGS research efforts found trails of reported contamination incidents dating all the way up the the early 2000’s
   

Many of you probably find yourselves thinking, “That’s it! Finally some PROOF that the oil production industry WILL ruin the ground water for all of us with its drilling practices!”

Oh, that such a claim could get made and actually hold up in Court.

As with any manufacturing process, oil production has many, many steps and processes… each of which could possibly fail at some point (or slowly over time) and result in the sort of contamination seen in Poplar.

Brine may have seeped out of industrial pipelines, temporary storage pits, above ground brine storage tanks, brine disposal wells, tanker trucks loading/unloading brine at drilling sites, or the actual oil production wells themselves.

Any or ALL of the aforementioned possibilities may have occurred at various times and as years passed contamination from any or all of those sources has spread throughout the connected aquifers beneath Poplar (since groundwater stays in constant motion).

Moral of the story?

As with any industrial or commercial activity, multiple ways for potentially environmentally damaging events will always exist and only through rigorous and thorough inspection and oversight by independent third party auditors will the public learn exactly how at risk those activities put its water supply.

Without those inspections taking place and followup penalties (when applicable) getting enforced, Big Business will have all the freedom it requires to keep on practicing ‘business as usual’… quite possibly at the expense of our safety.

More: East Poplar Brine-Contaminated Groundwater Plumes Continue to Move

Thank you for contacting the Water Testing Blog, Yulia. We know that the Arsenic Quick Test Kit can test for dissolved arsenic in wood (wood shavings/chips in water) since the test pad itself does not actually get immersed in the sample. Therefore we suspect that one could use the test kit on pretty much any ‘liquid’ — sort of.

Hypothetically, if one performed a test on the same amount (i.e. mass or weight) of formula as called out for wood in the test procedure for testing arsenic levels in wood, then logically the results obtained ought to have some level of validity.

Keep in mind, though, that deviating from ANY test procedure inherently introduces elements of inaccuracy when it comes to the test’s results… and therefore one should take ‘positive’ results as a sign that additional (i.e. laboratory) testing should get performed using methodology specifically designed for the testing of dissolved arsenic levels in food substances.

Naturally big business and industry giants claim the ‘link’ between environmental pollutants and increased numbers of children getting diagnosed with Autism fails to hold water, but no matter what, two facts remain: 1) Our environment continues to get polluted by a seemingly endless number of hazardous and not-‘yet’-defined-as-hazardous, chemicals and compounds; 2) More and more kids keep getting diagnosed with Autism and similar conditions each year.

Whether a link truly exists between those two facts or not, we see two problems that either need to get solved together or solved separately. Either way they need to get SOLVED.

As the title of this article suggested, we recently ran across a list of ten chemicals highly suspected as possible causes of Autism and other learning or developmental disabilities. The list comes from an article on the Prevention.Com web site.

• Lead
• Methylmercury
• PCBs
• Organophosphate pesticides
• Organochlorine pesticides
• Endocrine disruptors
• Automotive exhaust
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• Brominated flame retardants
• Perfluorinated compounds

Moral of the story?

As a society we have already dumped way too many compounds and chemicals into the environment without fully understanding the impact that most of them by themselves will have on future generations… let alone the impact that they ALL will have when combined in our food and water supplies.

Do the chemicals in the list above cause Autism? Some say, “Yes!” and others say, “No!” We say get the chemicals out of the water supply (be it ground water OR tap water, by the way!) and see what happens.

One way or the other SOMEthing will have to improve, right?

Some negative effects of not enough water in a person’s diet include developing of excess body fat, loss of muscle tone, gastrointestinal difficulties, issues with kidney function, increased blood pressure, joint discomfort, and cramping of muscles.

Many researchers believe that despite the well-known effects of dehydration, a great many of us go about our lives not taking in a sufficient amount of water to prevent the ill effects of dehydration.

• Water helps flush out waste products that if left in the human body would certainly poison a person.
   
• Water aids in digestion by helping to dissolve much needed nutrients so they can get carried throughout the body and delivered to locations where the body needs them.
   
• Lack of water in the body means the body has a reduction in its ability to cool itself via perspiration.
   
• Water acts as a lubricant in the body and allows joints to glide freely during motion.
   
• Replacing one’s normal mealtime beverages with water can have a pronounced effect on the waistline by knocking the calories associated with one’s normal mealtime beverages off his or her daily tally of calories consumed.
   
• Though not proven, necessarily, by any scientific study (that we know of), water consumed with a meal can also act as an appetite suppressant by providing ‘filler’ for a person’s stomach, making a person feel full sooner, and causing them to therefore stop eating sooner than if they had drank nothing with their meal.

Unsure if you consume enough water? If you find yourself experiencing low urine quantities, darker or more highly colored urine, pungent smelling urine, or not having to urinate all that often during the day you may suffer from some level of dehydration.

Other dehydration symptoms may include becoming fatigued easily, headaches starting out of the blue and apparently for no reason, faster than normal heart rate, an unusually dry mouth, difficulty concentrating on tasks at hand, trouble remembering things, and/or dizziness spells.

Tips for staying hydrated?

• DRINK WATER.
   
• Rather than keeping a soda or other beverage handy, replace that beverage with a container of water.
   
• Substitute water for your usual at-meal beverage.
   
• Sports drinks serve as an excellent way of replacing electrolytes after a good workout (or weekend of heavy alcohol consumption…) but for everyday hydration needs water may work far better since the body really should not need extra electrolytes on a daily basis and would therefore attempt to flush them out — thus defeating the purpose of drinking a sports drink simply for hydration purposes.
   
• Keep containers of clean drinking water in your fridge instead of sodas or other beverages. If it will take longer to prepare a non-water beverage than simply grabbing a glass of cold, refreshing water… then most of us will opt for the water.
   
• And finally, DRINK WATER.

Moral of the story?

Some say an ounce of prevention goes a long way… so just IMAGINE how far 64 ounces of water a day can take you!

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