My son has recently been diagnosed with extreme arsenic levels and parasites…

Our doctor feels it may be from our water. We are in the suburbs, so have city water.

I have had health problems and so have our animals for a while now. I am wondering if our water is the cause.

I see a test for arsenic. Is there a test I can get to test for parasites in our water?

I would truly appreciate any information you could share with me!

Thank you!

Good morning, Michele, and thank you for your inquiry.

From what you described we would agree that your water may have something to do with the health problems you described in your son, your animals, and yourself. Prolonged exposure to a drinking water contaminant like arsenic can result in the appearance of a wide range of symptoms… and since your son has already tested ‘high’ for arsenic, it definitely stands to reason that you would want to test for the presence of dissolved arsenic in your water.

Simple test kits for arsenic like the Arsenic Quick test kits we carry allow home and business owners to readily and easily test for the presence of dissolved arsenic in their drinking water.

Regarding the parasites doctors found in your son’s body, well, the fact that you have city/tap water makes the likelihood of those parasites coming from the faucet quite low, but not impossible. Usually unwanted parasites get filtered out and/or neutralized via chemical or other process at a water system’s water treatment facility.

No at-home test kits exist for parasites (that we know about) so if you wish to test for parasites you will need to contact your local Health Department for a list of certified water testing laboratories and contract with one to come out, take a sample (or samples), get the sample(s) back to the lab quickly, and perform testing specifically for parasites.

A couple things to remember when it comes to parasites:

• A person can pick up unwanted parasites from sources other than drinking water. Foods may carry parasites and sometimes people may even pick certain types of parasites from contact with contaminated dirt, soil, mud, etc.
   
• Depending upon the parasite, some have the ability to exist in a host body for quite a while before the host shows any signs of infection/infestation.
   

By any chance did the doctor tell you what type of parasites he/she found in your son? That may help you to narrow down your list of ways in which your son became infected.

Moral of the story?

Sometimes a preliminary round of testing (this time unfortunately on a young boy) results in a need for more testing (this time on the water and possibly other things) before a solution becomes available. With that said, if after a round of testing you still have unanswered questions, keep testing until you find thee answers you need.

Your health and the health of those around you may depend on the answers you eventually find and solutions you implement as a result of those answers!

Those people, in our opinion, need to keep their opinions to themselves… and feel free to drink as much unboiled water during a boil water advisory as they would like. Just don’t expect us to feel sorry for them when a glassful of parasites decides to take up residence in their digestive tracts.

Think about it. What government body or agency would REALLY want to deal with the general public calling non-stop asking questions about the safety of its water when a boil water advisory gets issued? Also, can you imagine the paperwork and follow-up paperwork that a municipal water department has to do as a result of a boil water advisory?

So please, people… if you hear that a boil water advisory has gone into effect, please do as it says. The inconvenience you experience for a few hours or a few days will definitely beat spending a few days in the hospital as doctors scramble to purge your body of vermin.

Want to get rid of potentially harmful bacteria in your drinking water?

We suggest taking a look the benefits offered by an ultraviolet water purification system. Using a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light these systems have the ability to kill or render harmless virtually 99% of bacteria in water… without the need for harmful chemicals.

For those interested in ultraviolet water purification systems that have tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 55 for Ultraviolet Microbiological Water Treatment Systems, the Trojan UVMAX Pro10, Trojan UVMAX Pro20 and Trojan UVMAX Pro30 UltraViolet Disinfection Systems available at WaterFilters.Net have certified to that standard.