By Richard Mesquita, AquaMD
When I sit down to write an article on potable water, first I review a few public water laboratory results that cross my desk each week. Why? Because I get a first-hand look at just how bad some public water supplies really are.
For example, the lab results of water utilities in the state of New York included at least 10 harmful contaminants:
And yet those water companies, like so many others, were able to claim their water meets "all state and federal drinking water standards," so customers should feel confident about its safety.
I don't believe water companies intentionally added these types of chemicals to their water (like they do with chlorine and fluoride), but they hurt their customers by telling them everything is OK, when it's not. My guess is they do so because they don't want to deal with the legal consequences or invest money in the necessary equipment to clean up their water supply.
For now, lets talk about beryllium, one of the contaminants found in those New York public water supplies, as well as many other systems across the United States, that can damage your health.
What is Beryllium?
Beryllium is a metal that is found in rocks, soil, coal and oil. It was first discovered in 1797 by Louis Nicolas Vauquelin. However, it wasn't until the 1950s that it became "widely" used in industry. Industry fell in love with beryllium because it can withstand extreme heat, remain stable over a wide range of temperatures and is an excellent thermal conductor. Companies also found, when they combined beryllium with metals such as copper, nickel or aluminum, it enhanced the performance of those metals.
Today, you'd be hard pressed to walk a few feet and find a product that doesn't contain beryllium. For example, beryllium is used as a base metal in battery contacts and electronic connectors in cell phones.
It's used in FM radios, high-definition cable television and underwater fiberoptic cable systems.
It's used in air bags, auto ignition and power steering systems.
It's used in fire extinguishers and sprinkler heads.
The medical industry relies on beryllium for applications in pacemakers, lasers used to analyze blood and x-ray imaging equipment.
Beryllium is used in military weapons guidance and radar navigation systems. And it's used in helicopters, fighter aircraft and tanks, surveillance satellites, and aircraft landing gear components.
It's also used in the millions and millions of personal computers made each year to connect the various microprocessors they contain.
And the list goes on and on ...
How Does Beryllium Get Into Our Water Supply?
Beryllium and other toxins typically get into the water supply as a result of industries dumping contaminants directly into streams, rivers and lakes, pumping them into the air supply or burying them in the ground. Then, rainwater eventually washes these toxins into our water supply.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports (during its most current reporting year) about 1 million pounds of beryllium and beryllium compounds were disposed of in the environment. In reality, the number was probably a lot higher because EPA numbers are based on companies that "estimate" their toxic releases and "voluntarily report them." Also, many companies are excluded from that EPA report.
According to the EPA report, these states released the highest levels of beryllium into the environment:
How Does Beryllium Affect Your Health?
Beryllium is a known carcinogen. And, it is a suspected cardiovascular and blood toxicant, gastrointestinal and liver toxicant, immunotoxicant, kidney toxicant, reproductive toxicant, respiratory toxicant and skin toxicant.
Put simply, beryllium is very bad for you.
How Does Beryllium in the Water Supply Enter Your Body?
It's believed beryllium will not enter your body from skin contact, unless your skin is scraped or cut, in which case beryllium can enter the wound.
Ingesting water containing beryllium passes from your stomach and intestines into the bloodstream. From there, it's carried by the blood into the kidneys. Beryllium leaves the kidneys through the urine. Some beryllium can also be carried by the blood to the liver and bones where it may remain for long periods of time.
It is thought if you swallow beryllium it will leave your body in a few days. However, if you inhale beryllium, such as that contained in steam from a hot shower, it may take months to years before your body rids itself of this toxin. That's because it takes a long time before all the beryllium in your lungs enters the bloodstream.
Protect Yourself and Your Family
Find out if beryllium and other contaminants are in your water supply. If they are, get the right treatment system to remove them.
Don't assume that you can judge your water's purity by the way it looks, tastes or smells. Only sophisticated laboratory equipment can detect low levels of contaminants that can hurt you. Remember those water samples I mentioned at the beginning of this article that contained all those contaminants?
The water looked, tasted and smelled A-OK.
Please don't fool yourself into thinking that you can tell your water is safe by the way it looks, tastes, or smells.
Some contaminants in water are so harmful that they are measured in "parts per million" or "parts per billion." In other words, just a drop of these poisons added to gallons and gallons of water can be very harmful.
Just installing a filter to purify your drinking water may not be enough. You could still be exposed to contaminated water when you:
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Can Washing Dishes Really Harm Your Health?
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