Archive for September, 2010
Manganese could make your children stupid
I read this very interesting press release and paper today…The University of Quebec at Montreal performed a comprehensive study on the effects of manganese in drinking water on children’s intellectual abilities. The results were quite sobering, manganese has a definite and distinct negative effect on children’s mental development. It follows naturally to assume that there is also an effect on adults. Manganese can be removed by nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, oxidation with post-filtration. Traditional ion exchange softeners will have an effect on manganese, but because of the strong affinity of the SAC (Strong Acid Cation) resin to iron and manganese it will foul very quickly unless protected by Pur-Gard.
If you own your own well, you most likely have manganese in your water, and even certain city water supplies will have low levels of manganese so be sure to drink purified water and use a good whole house softening. conditioning, or filtration system.
_ _ _
Contact: Claire Bouchard
bouchard.claire@uqam.ca
514-987-3111
Université du Québec à Montréal
Manganese in drinking water: Study suggests adverse effects on children’s intellectual abilities
This press release is available in French.
A team of researchers led by Maryse Bouchard, adjunct professor at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Health, Environment and Society (CINBIOSE) of the Université du Québec à Montréal and a researcher at Sainte-Justine University Hospital, and Donna Mergler, professor emerita in the Department of Biological Sciences and a member of CINBIOSE, recently completed a study showing that children exposed to high concentrations of manganese in drinking water performed worse on tests of intellectual functioning than children with lower exposures. Their results are published in the prestigious scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives, in an article entitled “Intellectual Impairment in School-Age Children Exposed to Manganese from Drinking Water”.
Manganese: toxic in the workplace but harmless in water?
The neurotoxic effects of manganese exposure in the workplace are well known. This metal is naturally occurring in soil and in certain conditions is present in groundwater. In several regions of Quebec and Canada and in other parts of the world, the groundwater contains naturally high levels of manganese. Does it pose a danger? What effect might it have on children’s health? This is the first study to focus on the potential risks of exposure to manganese in drinking water in North America.
The study, carried out by researchers at the Université du Québec à Montréal, the Université de Montréal and the École Polytechnique de Montréal, examined 362 Quebec children, between the ages of 6 and 13, living in homes supplied by with groundwater (individual or public wells). For each child, the researchers measured the concentration of manganese in tap water from their home, as well as iron, copper, lead, zinc, arsenic, magnesium and calcium. The amount of manganese from both tap water and food was estimated from a questionnaire. Finally, each child was assessed with a battery of tests assessing cognition, motor skills, and behaviour.
Lead author Maryse Bouchard explains, “We found significant deficits in the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children exposed to higher concentration of manganese in drinking water. Yet, manganese concentrations were well below current guidelines.” The average IQ of children whose tap water was in the upper 20% of manganese concentration was 6 points below children whose water contained little or no manganese. The analyses of the association between manganese in tap water and children’s IQ took into account various factors such as family income, maternal intelligence, maternal education, and the presence of other metals in the water. For co-author Donna Mergler, “This is a very marked effect; few environmental contaminants have shown such a strong correlation with intellectual ability.” The authors state that the amount of manganese present in food showed no relationship to the children’s IQ.
What next?
So what can be done about it? Some of the municipalities where the study was conducted have already installed a filtration system that removes manganese from the water. According to one of the other co-authors of the study, Benoit Barbeau, NSERC Industrial Chair in Drinking Water at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, “A viable alternative solution is home use of filtering pitchers that contain a mixture of resins and activated carbon. Such devices can reduce the concentration of manganese by 60% to100% depending on filter use and the characteristics of the water.”
In Quebec, where the study was conducted, manganese is not on the list of inorganic substances in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks Regulation respecting the quality of drinking water. “Because of the common occurrence of this metal in drinking water and the observed effects at low concentrations, we believe that national and international guidelines for safe manganese in water should be revisited.” the authors conclude.
###
Contact:
Maryse Bouchard
Adjunct Professor, CINBIOSE, UQAM
Researcher, CHU Sainte-Justine
Phone: 514-345-4931 ext. 4086
Email: bouchard.maryse@uqam.ca
Read the paper: http://www.uqam.ca/salledepresse/pdf/ehp.pdf
Toxic City Water?
I read this article today, and it got me thinking…how many times do cities allow algal blooms into your water and simply cast the issue aside as “natural” and claim it to not be a health risk?
This is just one more reason to take control of your own water quality and not rely on “big brother” to give you the water quality that you deserve.
You can’t expect the city to protect you from every single thing, it is simply too expensive since a very small percentage of city water is actually consumed by humans. The vast majority of city water is used outside the home and in business/industry so it is impractical and wasteful to clean ALL city water to high quality standards.
If you already have a treatment system in your home, it is crucial to disinfect and maintain it periodically to ensure that bacteria and algae are properly addressed.
High quality filtration technologies like Reverse Osmosis, Nanofiltration and Ultrafiltration are appropriate to address this problem; as well as certain carbons like Chlorgon and even Smart Bottle technology in certain cases
If the Water Looks and Smells Bad, It May Be Toxic
Released: 9/13/2010 11:48:14 AM
| Contact Information: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Office of Communication 119 National Center Reston, VA 20192 |
Jennifer Graham Phone: (785) 832-3511 Keith Loftin Kara Capelli |
Earthy or musty odors, along with visual evidence of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, may serve as a warning that harmful cyanotoxins are present in lakes or reservoirs. In a newly published USGS study of cyanobacterial blooms in Midwest lakes, taste-and-odor compounds were found almost every time cyanotoxins were found, indicating odor may serve as a warning that harmful toxins are present.
“It is commonly believed that there are no health risks associated with taste-and-odor compounds,” said Dr. Jennifer Graham, USGS limnologist and lead scientist on this study. “While taste-and-odor compounds are not toxic, these pungent compounds were always found with cyanotoxins in the blooms sampled. This finding highlights the need for increased cyanotoxin surveillance during taste-and-odor events so that the public can be advised and waters can be effectively treated.”
Cyanotoxins are produced by some cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria commonly form a blue-green, red or brown film-like layer on the surface of lakes and reservoirs. This phenomenon is frequently noticed in the United States during the summer, but also occurs during other seasons.
Cyanotoxins can be poisonous to people, aquatic life, pets and livestock. Removing or treating affected water can be both costly and time-intensive. Cyanotoxins are currently on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking-water contaminant candidate list, and many states include cyanotoxins in their freshwater beach-monitoring programs.
“Exposure to these toxins has caused a range of symptoms including skin rashes, severe stomach upset, seizures, or even death,” said Dr. Keith Loftin, USGS research chemist and environmental engineer. “Pets and livestock are most susceptible to direct exposure, but people can also be affected during recreation, by eating contaminated foods, or by drinking contaminated water that has not been treated properly.”
For this study, a cyanobacterial bloom from each of 23 lakes in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri was sampled and analyzed for thirteen toxins and two taste-and-odor compounds. Lakes were targeted based on a known history of cyanobacterial bloom occurrence.
Microcystins, a specific type of toxin, are often the only cyanotoxin considered when evaluating risks associated with cyanobacteria in waters used for recreation or drinking water supply. Microcystins were found in all samples; however, this study also indicates that toxins other than microcystins may be more common than previously thought.
Taste-and-odor compounds were detected in 91 percent of samples. Since toxins occurred more frequently than taste-and-odor compounds, odor alone does not provide sufficient warning to ensure human-health protection against cyanotoxin exposure.
If you think you see a harmful algal bloom, avoiding it is the first course of action. A good second step is to notify local authorities responsible for the affected area, such as a lake manager, state health department, or other relevant state agencies.
The full journal article, published by Environmental Science and Technology, as well as additional information, photos, and an audio podcast about cyanobacteria, can be accessed at http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/algal_toxins/.
USGS provides science for a changing world. Visit USGS.gov, and follow us on Twitter @USGS and our other social media channels.
Subscribe to our news releases via e-mail, RSS or Twitter.
Links and contacts within this release are valid at the time of publication.
DI Water Compatibility Chart
Common Industrial Materials and their compatibility with deionized water
| Material | Compatibility |
| 304 stainless steel | A1-Excellent |
| 316 stainless steel | A2-Excellent |
| ABS plastic | N/A |
| Acetal (Delrinr) | N/A |
| Aluminum | A2-Excellent |
| Brass | A-Excellent |
| Bronze | N/A |
| Buna N (Nitrile) | A1-Excellent |
| Carbon graphite | A2-Excellent |
| Carbon Steel | D-Severe Effect |
| Carpenter 20 | N/A |
| Cast iron/Galvanized Iron/Ductile/Black Iron Pipe | D-Severe Effect |
| Ceramic Al203 | B-Good |
| Ceramic magnet | N/A |
| ChemRaz (FFKM) | D-Severe Effect |
| Copper | D-Severe Effect |
| CPVC | A-Excellent |
| EPDM | A1-Excellent |
| Epoxy | A2-Excellent |
| Fluorocarbon (FKM) | A-Excellent |
| Hastelloy-Cr | A2-Excellent |
| Hypalonr | A2-Excellent |
| Hytrelr | N/A |
| Kalrez | N/A |
| Kel-Fr | A1-Excellent |
| LDPE | N/A |
| Natural rubber | A-Excellent |
| Neoprene | A-Excellent |
| NORYL | A2-Excellent |
| Nylon | A1-Excellent |
| Polycarbonate | N/A |
| Polyetherether Ketone (PEEK) | N/A |
| Polypropylene | A2-Excellent |
| Polyurethane | N/A |
| PPS (Ryton®) | A-Excellent |
| PTFE | A2-Excellent |
| PVC | A2-Excellent |
| PVDF (Kynar®) | A2-Excellent |
| Silicone | N/A |
| Titanium | A2-Excellent |
| Tygonr | A2-Excellent |
| Vitonr | A1-Excellent |
Ratings - Chemical Effect
A = Excellent
B = Good
Minor Effect, slight corrosion or discoloration
C = Fair
Moderate Effect, not recommended for continuous use. Softening, loss of strength, swelling may occur
D = Severe Effect, not recommended for ANY use.
N/A = Information Not Available.
Explanation of Superscript
1. Satisfactory to 72°F (22° C)
2. Satisfactory to 120°F (48° C)