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Arsenic and Old Kinderhook

Officials say increased levels of arsenic will not cause immediate health effects

By John Mason

KINDERHOOK — Some public water supplies along Route 9 have been found to have elevated levels of arsenic. Supervisor Doug McGivney stressed that the recorded levels are still relatively low.

In a Nov. 19 letter, Columbia County Acting Environmental Health Director Michael S. DeRuzzio informed McGivney that drilled public wells on the west side of Route 9 from Mirones Manor to the Hannaford Plaza have arsenic levels exceeding the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limit of 10 parts per billion.

McGivney said this is the area from Old Post Road north to Birch Road.

The EPA, DeRuzzio said, recently changed the maximum contaminant level for arsenic from 50 ppb to 10 ppb, “where long-term exposure may result in health impacts exceeding 10 ppb.” In the tested wells, he said, the arsenic levels ranged from 12 to 15 ppb.

“Based on the above, it is my understanding that these arsenic levels are below levels that would cause immediate health effects,” DeRuzzio wrote. “However, continued exposure at these levels could present a risk of long-term health impacts.”

The public suppliers in that area “are in the process of developing treatment systems for arsenic removal,” he stated, but went on to say that “it is uncertain as to how many residences with private well supplies within the affected area exhibit elevated levels.”

Public water supplies are those serving any part of the public, such as restaurants, motels and other retail establishments. They’re required to routinely test for contaminants, unlike residences, McGivney said.

“We are working with the [county Health Department] to have some residences tested in order to notify homeowners in the likely areas of potential problems,” he stated in a letter to residents in that area. “If a water supply is found to be contaminated, devices for correction are many and varied.”

McGivney told Town Board members in a separate communication that he was attempting “to get testing services at a speedier rate than current practice.” He told them he was looking for funding so residents could be offered free testing, since the town has no budget for it “and cannot because of the limited area involved.”

He stated there’s no reason for immediate concern “as only one water source has been found to require action now ... the one at Mirones’ Manor, and action is being taken.”

“Arsenic background levels are common in many water supplies,” he wrote. “To require action the MCL must be exceeded over the period of one year. The levels found are all less than 15 ppb, and present no immediate health threat, but may have a health effect based upon long-term exposure.”

Should a water supply be found to be contaminated, devices for correction are “many and varied,” McGivney stated. “Costs are estimated at about $1,500.”

According to a 2005 pamphlet titled “Arsenic and Ground Water,” published by the American Ground Water Trust, at a concentration of about 60,000 ppb in food or water, if ingested or inhaled, arsenic can result in sudden death. Between 300 and 30,000 ppb, ingestion can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Jeff Diamond, a public health communications specialist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, said at the level of 13 ppb, “all they need to do is filter from the point of use.”

McGivney said, “I wouldn’t get my well tested if I lived there.” The highest concentration is 13 ppb, he said, and the difference between 10 and 13 ppb is pretty slight.

The properties on which water supplies are being monitored for arsenic, according to a map from the county Health Department, are Widewater Commons, Mirones Manor, Blue Spruce Inn and Suites and Yonder Farms’ packing plant and migrant camp. In addition, the residences on Maple Lane South, Spruce Road, Balsam Road and Hemlock Road are defined as “areas of interest.”

According to the CDC Web site’s Toxicology FAQs, www.cdc.gov, arsenic is “a naturally occurring element widely distributed in the earth’s crust. In the environment, arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine and sulfur to form inorganic arsenic compounds. Arsenic in animals and plants combines with carbon and hydrogen to form organic arsenic compounds.”

Humans can be exposed to it through ingesting it through food or water, breathing air, sawdust or smoke containing arsenic, living in areas with unusually high levels of arsenic in the rock, or working on a job that involves arsenic production, says the Web site.

Ingestion of inorganic arsenic can increase the risk of skin cancer, and liver, bladder and lung cancer and inhalation of inorganic arsenic can increase the risk of lung cancer.

Long-term exposure to arsenic in children could result in lower IQ scores.

According to the EPA’s Web site, www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic, some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of EPA’s standard over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Health effects might include:

n Thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and liver effects;

n Cardiovascular, pulmonary, immunological, neurological (e.g., numbness and partial paralysis), reproductive, and endocrine (e.g., diabetes) effects;

n Cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate.

It was to protect the public from these long-term risks that the EPA recently lowered the MCL from 50 to 10 ppb.

To reach reporter John Mason, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail jmason@registerstar.com.

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