Monitoring ORP To Help Determine Arsenic In Private Wells

Arsenic is one of the most common elements in the earth’s crust and is commonly found in many locations at varying concentrations. The Midwestern United States has locations that are heavily laden with arsenic because of certain geological settings and conditions. This naturally-occurring arsenic can leach into groundwater potentially causing elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water supplies. The primary pathway that exposes arsenic to humans is through drinking water.

Arsenic has a number of detrimental health effects when consumed at both short-term high doses and long-term low doses. Chronic, low dose exposure is the most common and may cause skin damage, digestive problems, cardiovascular, pulmonary, immunological, neurological, reproductive, and endocrine problems. Arsenic exposure is also linked to cancers of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate.