If we were to ask what is the most common contaminant that can be present in every source of water, the answer would easily be Arsenic!
In the United States alone, it contaminates 30-40% of the wells, cisterns, and lakes of the states like Arizona or California.
Moreover, the quality of municipal water and bottled water is not any better regarding its contamination.
Throughout the world, it affects around 200 million people and causes thousands of death every year.
You might be wondering by now, what makes Arsenic the king of all contaminants, or what safety measures can you take to save yourself from this poison?
In this post, we will find the answers to all these burning questions!
Arsenic as the King of All Poisons
Arsenic, being tasteless and odorless, remained one of the stealthiest poison of choice in the Middle Ages.
Assassins used to put this element into sweet dishes and imperial drinks of Kings and other nobels.
Furthermore, as the symptoms of this toxin were similar to common food poisoning, these assassinations remained unsuspected for a long time.
When finally detected, people gave Arsenic its prestigious name, the ‘’King of all poisons’’ or the ‘’Poison of Kings’’.
Since then, the awareness towards this element as a poison spread far and wide, and deaths due to food poisoning were not suspected as natural deaths anymore.
Arsenic as a Modern-Day Poison
Luckily, due to the advancements in toxicology analysis, Arsenic is not used anymore as a tool for assassination.
However, we are still not safe from its poisoning!
In fact, in 1970, Bangladesh had one of the highest mortality rates in the world due to Arsenic poisoning. WHO titled this incidence as the “largest mass poisoning in the world” and perhaps in history.
Not to mention, it still remains one of the most common contaminants around the world, including in developed countries such as America, England, and Canada.
Sources of Arsenic in Drinking Water
Apart from its natural sources (soil, rocks, ground), arsenic may also stem from mining, industrial byproducts, pesticides, animal feeds, medicine, dyes, cosmetics, and wood preservatives.
When dumped, all of these waste products leach this element into the ground, which ultimately contaminates the groundwater.
Similarly, some of these products are thrown directly into the water, resulting in its contamination.
Water from these sources reaches us through the public water supply (municipal water), private wells, and bottled water.
Toxic Effects of Arsenic
This Arsenic-contaminated water causes either acute or chronic type of effects, depending upon the concentration.
Acute Arsenic Poisoning
This type of poisoning takes place when a high concentration of Arsenic is present in the water.
The symptoms appear within hours or weeks and include metallic taste, nausea, vomiting, severe dehydrating diarrhea, mental irritation, hallucinations, lungs and renal failure, coma, and death.
Keep in mind, most of these symptoms are reversible, and the patient recovers up with the timely removal of arsenic.
Chronic Arsenic Poisoning
Chronic poisoning happens with the use of water, which contains low or moderate levels of this element.
The symptoms occur after months or years of exposure, and include;
- First stage: This stage includes gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and constipation.
- Second stage: This stage consists of flu-like symptoms and includes running nose, cough, itchy eyes, and skin.
- Third stage: This stage contains skin related problems such as loss of skin over the palm and soles, raindrop pigmentation, hardening of the different areas of skin, and discoloration of the nails.
- Fourth stage: This is the worst stage out of all. It involves nervous diseases such as peripheral neuritis (painful hands and legs), numbness, paresthesia, muscle weakness, tremors, and wrist and foot drop.
Do these toxic effects look scary? Well, we have not even started yet!
We can still talk over it as a proven cancer-causing substance, a cardiotoxic element, and whatnot.
But rest assured, we will not jog you into these details any further.
It is the time to choose our weapon and slay the King of Poisons for good!
Removal of Arsenic from Our Water
As with any contaminant, the removal of Arsenic takes place in two steps.
Step 1. Detection of Arsenic
Yes, before we go for its removal, it is critical to know how much arsenic is present in our drinking water.
For this, you can follow the standard procedure of water-sample collecting and deliver the samples to water testing laboratories.
However, you can also do yourself a favor and buy a water testing kit.
These kits are fast, accurate, and can save you from a lot of sample-collection and deliverance labor.
Step 2. Removal of Arsenic
EPA proposes filtration as one of the best methods to deal with Arsenic, superior to both boiled and bottled water.
We recommend going for filters that have a reverse osmosis filtration system, activated carbon membranes, or three-stage filtration systems. They are capable of removing 99.99% of any contaminants, including arsenic.
If you are still confused, don’t worry. We will make it easier for you to choose the best filter that suits your needs!
If you want to get rid of arsenic from your kitchen water only, you can either go for an under-the-sink kitchen filter or reverse osmosis filter.
These filters will provide you pure, clean, and tasty water for your drinking and cooking needs.
However, if you want to go for one that covers your whole house, advance reverse osmosis or a whole-house water filter might be the better option.
These filters not only give you arsenic-free water for your drinking and cooking, but they also save your skin and hair from arsenic-contamination in showers.
Bonus
Finally, we have a filter named iSpring RCC1UP-AK that might become the knight of your choice!
This filter comes with a 7-stage filtration system and an ultraviolet sterilizer, guaranteeing the removal of 1,000 plus contaminants alongside arsenic.
Moreover, this filter also works as a water softener and alkaline re-mineralizer. As a result, this filter does not remove healthy minerals out of your drinking water, as other filters usually do.
With one-year money-back warranty and lifetime support, this indeed might be the best filter of choice!
Aren’t you impressed with this filter already? If so, click here to buy this product and make a life-saving investment for yourself and your loved ones!