Arsenic water wells

In this work, the column performances were examined by supplying 1 mM of arsenic species, which corresponds to 75 ppm of arsenic. Such a high level arsenic is rarely found in surface water. Since the highest concentration levels of arsenic in well water of Ganges Delta are ca. 2 ppm. Thus, the removal of arsenic form dilute arsenite solutions was tested. Figure 5 illustratively shows the results. 

The toxicity of chronic exposure to arsenic is well established and the best recommendation is to avoid arsenic exposure. The most common home exposure is from contaminated drinking water and arsenic-treated lumber. Certain areas of the country have higher levels of arsenic in water. The EPA has lowered arsenic drinking water standards, but water providers have until 2006 to meet the new standards. Avoid inhalation of sawdust from arsenic-treated lumber or inhalation of smoke from burning arsenic-treated wood. And of course always wash your hands. This is particularly important if a young child is playing on arsenic-treated wood. 

A method for removing arsenic from well water. The water is filtered through a long pipe filled with iron filings and sand. Water-soluble arsenate ions gain electrons from metallic iron to form less-soluble orthoarsenous acid, which gets trapped by the sand and does not exit the pipe. 

Goldblatt, E.L., Van Denburgh, S.A. and Marsland, R.A. (1963) The Unusual and Widespread Occurrence of Arsenic in Well Waters of Lane County, Oregon, Lane County Health Department Report. 

S. Murcott, Appropriate remediation technologies for arsenic-contaminated wells in Bangladesh, in Proc. Int. Conf. Arsenic in Ground Water in Bangladesh Sources and Remedies, Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, February 27-28, 1999. 

Milton, A.H., Rahman, M. (2002). Respiratory effects and arsenic contaminated well water in Bangladesh. Int. J. Environ. Health... 

Figure 7 Map of the USA showing the regional distribution of arsenic in wells (from http //webserver.cr.usgs.gov/ trace/pubs/geo v46nll/fig3.html after Ryker, 2001). This shows where 25% of water samples within a moving 50 km radius exceed a certain arsenic concentration. It is computed from —3 X 10" water samples and updated from...

Del Razo L. M., Arellano M. A., and Cebrian M. E. (1990) The oxidation states of arsenic in well-water from a chronic arsenicism area of northern Mexico. Environ. Pollut. 64, 143-153. 

In contrast to stream water, groundwater in the Warrior coalfield may have elevated arsenic concentrations. Waters produced during methane recovery from coal (n=28) were found to have a mean arsenic content of 25 ppb with a maximum of 475 ppb (O Neil et al., 1993). These production waters are typically saline and not potable. However, the presence of elevated arsenic in the deep groundwater samples indicates that arsenic may be mobilized from the coal into solution. Shallow drinking-water wells in the Warrior coalfield are lower in arsenic than the production waters, having a mean of 2 ppb and a maximum of 44 ppb (n=35)(0 Neil et al., 1993). The highest of these arsenic contents exceed the present drinking water standard and indicate the potential for at least isolated arsenic contamination. 

In addition to recognizing sulfide oxidation as the process by which arsenic is released to ground water, identification of the mechanism that causes sulfide oxidation is necessary to understand the controls on arsenic in well water. Two issues of concern in the Fox River valley case are the nature of the oxidant and its source. 

To investigate the possible relation between the composition of host rocks and the arsenic content of ground water, well sampling was conducted in conjunction with sampling of aquifer materials in test cores and available well cuttings (Haack and Trecanni, 2000). WeUs were selected to provide samples from a range of depths, in locations with both near-normal and elevated arsenic contents. 

Chen, C. J., Chuang, Y. C., Lin, T. M., and Wu, H. Y., 1985, Mahgnant neoplasms among residents of a blackfoot disease-endemic area in Taiwan high-arsenic artesian well water and cancers Cancer Research, v. 45, p. 5895-5899. 

Grantham, D. A., and Jones, J. F., 1977, Arsenic contamination of water wells inNovia Scotia American Waterworks Association, v. 69, no. 12, p. 653-657. 

Riewe, T., Weissbach, A., Heinen, L., and Stoll, R. C., 2000, Naturally occurring arsenic in well water in Wisconsin Water Well Journal, p. 24-29. 

Arsenic, a well-known skin carcinogen, coexists with tin in some tin-mining areas. In one tin-mining area in Malaysia, well water has been found to have high levels of arsenic and an association between living in the tin-mining area and the development of skin cancer has been demonstrated. ... 

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