WTH?!? Arsenic in my drinking water?!?!

[essnce629]

I just came across this site with the best and worst city water ratings. You can click on "See all cities" to see the results of all 100 cities tested.

EWG's Top-Rated and Lowest-Rated Water Utilities
http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/home

Los Angeles, where we live, ranks in the middle at #58, but the arsenic levels are 2.3ppb (most cities are 0). The Maximum Contaminant Limit Goal is 0 and levels at 1ppb correspond to an estimated lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 5,000. Levels at 3ppb have an estimated cancer risk of 1 in 1,667. Low levels (.5ppb) is a risk of 1 in 10,000. Long term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver and prostate.

Ugh! Off to find a water filter that filters out arsenic, which I've read is pretty hard. Our Brita filter and our fridge's water filter do not filter out arsenic. :(

[trales]

You will have better luck with a whole house filter, installed by a water company. They are around $1000.

Get your water tested coming out of your sink. That is the best way to know what your actual levels are. The test should run you around $30, get lead done while you are at it, since the pipes between the water treatment center and your house may contain lead.

A whole house filter will protect not only your drinking water, but the water you use for your garden. Arsenic is readily absorsbed by plants.

[essnce629]

We're just renting this house (we've been here 10 months) and will probably only be here for another year so it wouldn't be worth getting a whole house filter right now. I'll definately do it once we buy a house though.

Who would I contact to test the water coming out of our sink? Is there a test kit I can buy myself?

[daisymommy]

Ugh. I'm sorry. I'm going to check how our's rates in just a second. You may want to check into a shower filter too :(

[edurnemk]

You need a reverse osmosis filter to get the arsenic out. http://www.ewg.org/healthyhometips/cancer_prevention_tips?utm_source=toxresend&utm_medium=email&utm_content=first-link&utm_campaign=hht

[salsah]

um . . . my water has uranium and radium in it (plus some other chemicals) over the health guidelines limit. :eek:

[WolfpackMom]

um . . . my water has uranium and radium in it (plus some other chemicals) over the health guidelines limit. :eek:

Holy cow me too, over the "legal limit," what in the world?? :47: