Re: Thanks re: Bernie-school arsenic

July 1, 2001

Thanks for taking the time to respond Bernie. I will continue to investigate

this as I have 3 kids under 8 who will spend many years at this school. My

concern is if you wash your hands with arsenic tainted water and eat, walk,

work, and play on surfaces that are washed with arsenic tainted water where does

the arsenic go when the water evaporates? This school is 30 years old now. As

my son has done kindergarten and grade 1 here i will be watching for arsenic

coming out when we start chelating him in the next few weeks.

Thanks again, I am sure some of the people on wells near the school who were

told its ok to bathe in but not to drink this water deserve better answers

too.(they only found out 5 years ago).

[ ] re: Bernie-school arsenic

There is a drinking water standard(EPA web site) that is fairly

easy to find by search. I'm pretty sure I would have it at work.

Knowing the standard is a start, but doesn't really answer what you are

interested in.

Apparently, the level is above the EPA standard for drinking water- for

which assumptions are made in setting it.

I suspect that in this case, the standard looked at how much arsenic

exposure one would get in drinking 8 glasses of water a day.

but people get exposures other than drinking, that likely

weren't considered and that is what you are really interested in

here. For some things that are volatile like TCE,PCE,benzene, mercury

vapor, some organic mercruy, etc. one gets much more exposure from

taking a shower than drinking 8 glasses of water. We also absorb

chemicals readily through the skin, so that is an exposure pathway.

Although I don't think arsenic is very volatile, the water its in is, so

one might get some exposure through the lungs in a shower and some by

direct contact. Maybe a little volatile in toilets, some from contact

while washing hands. But I'd be surprized if

one gets much exposure without drinking or showering.

Bernie

Our sons school brings in bottled water to drink because the water

system (well) is too high in arsenic. This was discovered 4 or 5 years

ago. They still use this arsenic water throughout the plumbing and

students/staff wash with it. Would there be a way to determine what

exposure in this manner would be unsafe? Is there an accepted level of

toxicity ie. ppm?

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