Arsenic in Drinking Water Causes Cancer, Kidney Failure, Other Arsenic Drinking Water Health Effects

Arsenic is odorless and tasteless. It occurs naturally in the environment, or as a by-product of some agricultural and industrial activities. Arsenic can enter into the drinking water through the ground or as runoff into surface water sources.

Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil, water, air, and plants and animals. It can be further released into the environment through natural activities such as volcanic action, erosion of rocks and forest fires, or through human actions.

Human action that contributes arsenic into the drinking water cycle are certain fertilizer and/or animal feeding operations, copper smelting, mining and coal burning. All may contribute to high arsenic levels in our environment.

Exposure to arsenic can cause both short and long term health effects. Short or acute effects can occur within hours or days of exposure. Long term or chronic effects occur over many years.

Since your kidney’s act as your body’s filtration system, they receive the greatest impact.  Long term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer of:

Short term exposure to high doses of arsenic can cause other adverse health effects, such as:

  • shock
  • kidney failure
  • liver cell death
  • internal bleeding
  • heart inflammation
  • spontaneous abortion
  • nervous system disorders

Like many contaminants that enter drinking water supplies, arsenic is potentially hazardous at high levels. Because you cannot see or taste arsenic in water, it is up to the municipal, privately-owned water company or well owner to test for arsenic.  Contact your local or state health department for a list of labs certified to test water for arsenic.

Arsenic tends to occur more frequently in ground water supplies, especially when demand causes significant drops in water levels in certain areas. It is best to consult your local health department about your area.

Compared to the rest of the United States, western states have more systems with arsenic levels greater than EPA’s standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

Arsenic entry into the earth’s drinking water cycle is natural or man introduced. And the health effects has the potential to be cancerous.

Be careful of where from your drinking water is pumped to protect your kidney’s from cancer or failure.

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