Arsenic is an odorless and tasteless substance that can be toxic to human health. Quite surprisingly, chemical elements of arsenic are finding their way into bottled water.

Consumer Reports recently released a series of articles that show a surprising dip in water quality within samples taken from several brands of bottled water. Nearly 120 brands of bottled water had some form arsenic present in their bottles. One of the top brands tested is a Whole Foods operated bottled water brand with at least 2000 cases of bottled water that were tested from 2016 to 2017.

How Does Arsenic Contamination In Bottled Water Occur?

Arsenic contamination can occur naturally in the United States and it finds its way into the water supply through agricultural and industrial runoff. If a bottling plant is near a manufacturing center or industrial plant there is a good chance that particles of arsenic can spread into the water supply. If you live in a rural community there is also an increased chance that arsenic could be found in your local drinking water.

Bottled water is not forced to comply with water quality standards and because it’s a food product it’s regulated by the FDA. The FDA does not provide regular inspections to water bottling plants and as a result there’s no need for compliance in revealing water sources.

As arsenic can quickly contaminate water through multiple sources, it can very quickly find its way into bottled water when there are not proper filtration techniques in place.

The Health Effects Of Arsenic Over Time

Arsenic is a toxic substance and even the smallest amount of arsenic is not considered safe to drink. Health problems can occur such as blindness, partial paralysis, stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Ongoing consumption of arsenic can also put you at risk for developing several forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

If you are interested in preventing the chance that you could be consuming arsenic in your day-to-day water supply, be sure to consider installing a whole home water filtration system throughout your property.

This post was written by Kristian D’An, owner and water expert at Eco Water Solutions of Florida. Eco Water Solutions is a Tampa water softeners company. They offer whole home water solutions such as softeners, whole home water filtration systems, and reverse osmosis systems. Their focus is to provide Floridians with safe and clean water throughout the home.