Arsenic Does a Body Good

This evening I discovered the ABQ 2007 Water Quality Report waiting for me in my mailbox when I got home from work. Intrigued, I dug into this report hoping that it would prove to be boring. Unfortunately it wasn't, as you probably already deduced based on the title of this post. Turns out we ABQ residents have rather high levels of arsenic in our drinking water.

Apparently the New Mexico Environment Department has granted the water authority here an exemption to the new arsenic standard set by the EPA. Why? To allow more time to figure out how to get the high levels here under control. This report detailed a map displaying the levels of arsenic in our water supply in the various regions of Albuquerque and wouldn't you know it, my home is situated in the zone with the highest levels of all: 15 PPB.

I looked up the government's recommendations on this particular subject. You can go here to read about what the EPA has determined are safe levels of arsenic for drinking. I'll sum it up for you with a few quotes:

"EPA has set the arsenic standard for drinking water at .010 parts per million (10 parts per billion) to protect consumers served by public water systems from the effects of long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic. Water systems must comply with this standard by January 23, 2006..."

So over two years after NM was supposed to comply with this standard it still hasn't quite gotten there. But the state is making progress - taking it's own sweet time - because apparently in 2003 the levels for where I live were about 28 PPB. However, according to this report the arsenic concentrations in all zones (even mine!) will meet the new standard by December 2008. Whew! (Nearly 3 years after the EPA required it.)

Another interesting aspect of this water report is that it states the effects that these levels (between 10 PPB and 50 PPB) of arsenic may have on a person over 'many years' (what exactly does 'many years' mean?): "...could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer."

If you read what the EPA has to say about the effects you will find the following: "Non-cancer effects can include thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting; diarrhea; numbness in hands and feet; partial paralysis; and blindness. Arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate."

The ABQ Water Report really generalized those effects, don't you think?