Wisconsin's Water Library - Arsenic in Groundwater

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ARSENIC IN GROUNDWATER
Special Feature

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is becoming an issue of increasing concern in Wisconsin. Ninety-seven percent of the state’s inland communities—70 percent of
the state’s population—depends on groundwater for their drinking water. In densely populated areas, the pumping of increasingly high volumes of groundwater has resulted in a lowering of the water table and the drilling of deeper wells. This combination of lower water tables and deeper wells is contributing to elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water, particularly in northeastern and southeastern parts of the state.

While modern water treatment methods are extremely efficient at removing pathogens and many toxic trace metals, most treatment techniques do not effectively remove the toxic inorganic forms of arsenic from drinking water. Arsenic contamination of groundwater supplies is an emerging problem not only in Wisconsin, but in other parts of the United States and other areas of the world.

In 2006, the EPA 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. Recent studies in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and four other states indicate groundwater arsenic concentrations exceeding 10 ppb are more common and widespread than previously recognized.

Research has shown that people who drink water containing high levels of arsenic over a period of several years have a higher risk of developing cancers of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver and prostate. Drinking arsenic-contaminated water can also contribute to cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, immunological and neurological disorders, and adult-onset diabetes.

For those interested in learning more about this issue, here are a few recommended books from our collection and several online documents and Web sites with further information.

Use the Request Form to request books by call number and title.


Call No.	Title
051323	Arsenic in Ground-Water Resources of the United States. Reston, Va.: U.S. Geological Survey, 2000. Also available on the Web at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/trace/pubs/fs-063-00/fs-063-00.pdf The USGS has developed maps that show where and to what extent arsenic occurs in ground water across the country. Widespread high concentrations were found in the West, the Midwest, and the Northeast.

051526	Welch, Alan H. and Kenneth G. Stollenwerk. Arsenic in Groundwater: Geochemistry and Occurrence. New York: Springer, 2002. Water supplies that contain arsenic concentrations high enough to pose a human health hazard are an international problem. Surface water and ground water are both at risk of arsenic contamination. This book consolidates much of what is known about the geochemistry of arsenic and provides new information on relationships between high concentrations of arsenic in ground water and geochemical environments.

130476	National Research Council Subcommittee on Arsenic in Drinking Water. Arsenic in Drinking Water. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1999. Also available on the Web at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/6444.html#toc Arsenic in Drinking Water discusses the potential presence of arsenic in public drinking water supplies and reviews the EPA's characterization of existing human health risks from its ingestion.

130483	Arsenic in Drinking Water. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Drinking and Ground Water, 2000. Also available on the Web at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/gw/pubs/arsenic.pdf This pamphlet provides information about arsenic in Wisconsin for those concerned about this contaminant in their water. Also gives contact information for departments and organizations that can provide further information.

130504	National Research Council Subcommittee on Arsenic in Drinking Water. Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2001. Also available on the Web at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10194.html#toc EPA asked the National Research Council to evaluate data newer than that in the 1999 National Research Council report above. The subcommittee's findings in this report are consistent with those of the 1999 report that found high risks of cancer at the previous federal standard of 50 parts per billion.

130557	Bianchelli, Tatiana, ed. Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2003. This book reviews EPA efforts to develop a new arsenic rule and summarizes key provisions and subsequent events. Included are different ways of actually removing the arsenic and maintaining the healthy level that is required by the EPA.

162261	UW Water Resources Institute. Arsenic. Madison: The Institute, 2004. Also available on the Web at http://wri.wisc.edu/arsenic.pdf Provides information about arsenic in Wisconsin waters. Discusses how the UW Water Resources Institute addresses the problem of arsenic and what types of research and actions are being undertaken.

162676	Meharg, Andrew A. Venomous Earth: How Arsenic Caused the World’s Worst Mass Poisoning. New York: Macmillan, 2005. Venomous Earth explores the geology, politics and biology of why between 40 and 80 million people in India and Bangladesh are at risk of consuming too much arsenic from well water that might have already caused 100,000 cancer cases and thousands of deaths. Meharg compares this scenario with that in other areas of the world where drinking water is tainted with arsenic, such as extensive areas of the southwestern US, the Alto Plano of South America and New Zealand's volcanic regions.

Articles Available Online
Enriquez, Darryl, “Arsenic Contaminates 5% of Area Wells,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the Web, 5 June 2006. Available on the Web at http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=431638 One of every 20 private wells in southeast Wisconsin has arsenic levels above the federal standard for drinking water. Since arsenic exists in random pockets in the southeast making it difficult to predict where it will turn up, state water experts urge well owners to have their water tested.

Karl, John, “All Arsenic Is Local,” Aquatic Sciences Chronicle Online, July 2005. Available on the Web at http://www.aqua.wisc.edu/Chronicle/Default.aspx?tabid=113 New research finds that it is difficult to accurately predict when a new or existing well is likely to yield water with safe levels of arsenic and highlights the importance of having well water tested annually.

Matthews, Megan, “Well Above, Trouble Below,” Wisconsin Natural Resources, December 2000. Available on the Web at http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2000/dec00/arsenic.htm Researchers believe that arsenic trapped in bedrock for millions of years is being released into groundwater as a consequence of increasing water use in the growing region of Winnebago, Outagamie and parts of Brown counties. This article also evaluates the impact of arsenic on health.

Johnson, Dave and Tom Riewe, "Dealing with Arsenic Problems of Northeastern Wisconsin," Water Well Journal, June 2006. Available on the Web at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/arsenic/arsenic.pdf The Department of Natural Resources established a “Special Well Casing Depth Area” for all of Outagamie and Winnebago counties because of concerns about arsenic contamination of the groundwater. Article describes the program and its successes.

Riewe, Tom and Annette Weissbach, Liz Heinen and Rick Stoll, "Naturally Occurring Arsenic in Well Water in Wisconsin," Water Well Journal, June 2000. Available on the Web at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/arsenic/NOA_In_WI.pdf Article summarizes the causes, origin and extent of arsenic contamination in Wisconsin's groundwater. Also, evaluates the health effects of drinking water contaminated with arsenic.

Web Sites
Medline Plus Arsenic The National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health provide reliable information on the health effects of arsenic. The site also allows you to search PubMed for recent research articles related to arsenic and makes some available fulltext.

US EPA Arsenic in Drinking Water Not only does US EPA provide basic facts about arsenic and its health effects, it also presents updated information on the arsenic standard for drinking water and assistance for systems and state agencies that must comply with the arsenic rule. Site also has several EPA arsenic publications online.

USGS Arsenic in Ground Water of the United States US Geological Survey has created several maps that show where and to what extent arsenic occurs in ground water across the US. Site also includes online publications, research results and links related to arsenic contamination of ground water.

WDNR Arsenic in Drinking Water and Groundwater The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources put together this comprehensive Web site dealing with the problem of arsenic in Wisconsin's waters. In addition to general information, the department provides lists of certified laboratories and treatment devices; recommendations for well construction, replacement and water treatment for homeowners; special casing area requirements for Winnebago and Outagamie counties; and lists of county, DNR and other state agency staff to contact on issues related to arsenic.

WHO Arsenic in Drinking Water In addition to data about the sources, effects, measurement and control of arsenic in drinking water, the World Health Organization (WHO) also provides information about the global situation, particularly Bangladesh.