What Is Arsenic?
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found throughout the earth's crust, in rock, soil, air, and plants, in both organic and inorganic forms. Organic arsenic is generally far less toxic than inorganic arsenic, which is the form linked to serious health risks and the one most relevant to drinking water.
Inorganic arsenic shows up in a range of industrial products: glass, pigments, textiles, metal adhesives, wood preservatives, and ammunition, among others. The U.S. hasn't produced inorganic arsenic since 1985, but it's still imported and used, and concentrations vary by region and by human activity like mining, fracking, pesticide use, and coal burning.
How Does Arsenic Get in Water?
The most common route of exposure is drinking contaminated water. Arsenic levels tend to run higher in groundwater sources like wells than in surface water like lakes or reservoirs, and naturally occurring arsenic is more common in some regions than others, particularly in rural areas.
A joint USGS and CDC study estimates that around 2.1 million people in the U.S. draw drinking water from private wells with elevated arsenic levels, mostly from natural rock and mineral deposits rather than human activity. Separately, a 2017 NRDC report found that more than 500 public water systems delivered water with excessive arsenic to roughly 1.8 million Americans.
Arsenic contaminates drinking water primarily through:
- Natural mineral deposits dissolved by groundwater as it moves through rock and soil
- Contact with industrial waste from operations that use or produce inorganic arsenic
The Health Risks of Arsenic Exposure
The World Health Organization classifies inorganic arsenic as a confirmed carcinogen and calls it the most significant chemical contaminant in drinking water globally. Long-term exposure has been linked to:
- Lung, bladder, and skin cancer
- Skin disorders
- Increased risk of diabetes
- High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
Acute exposure to large doses can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and muscle cramping, with severe poisoning potentially fatal.
What Actually Removes Arsenic From Water
Boiling water doesn't remove arsenic; as water evaporates during boiling, arsenic concentration can actually increase slightly. Chlorine disinfection doesn't remove it either. Ion exchange filtration is one of the treatment methods the EPA has studied and identified as effective for arsenic reduction, and it's a technology used in some water filtration systems, including ZeroWater's.
ZeroWater's 5-stage filter uses ion exchange technology to remove up to 99.6% of Total Dissolved Solids and is NSF certified to reduce lead, chromium, and PFOA/PFOS, the contaminants we have documented certification for. We don't currently have a certification covering arsenic reduction specifically, so if arsenic is a known issue in your water, pair filtration with regular testing to confirm what's actually being addressed.
Whatever's in your water, staying properly hydrated matters, and knowing what you're drinking is the first step. ZeroWater's filtration products are built to make cleaner, better-tasting water more accessible.
Sources:
"Arsenic" - World Health Organization - https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic
"Arsenic" - American Cancer Society - https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/arsenic.html
"Study Estimates About 2.1 Million People Using Wells High in Arsenic" - U.S. Geological Survey - https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/study-estimates-about-21-million-people-using-wells-high-arsenic
"Threats on Tap" - Natural Resources Defense Council - https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/threats-on-tap-water-infrastructure-protections-report.pdf
"Arsenic Treatment Technology Demonstrations" - United States Environmental Protection Agency - https://www.epa.gov/water-research/arsenic-treatment-technology-demonstrations
