Fact Sheet Series: Inorganic Contaminants in Drinking Water

What are Inorganic contaminants?

Water is capable of dissolving and suspending a tremendous variety of materials; so getting pure water is very difficult. Inorganic contaminants are compounds that typically do not contain the element Carbon in their structure. Inorganic contaminants can become dissolved in water from natural sources or as the result of human activity. Inorganic contaminants are regulated in public water supplies due to their ability to cause acute poisoning, cancer, and other health effects.

Are all water contaminants bad for our health?

No. Many of the naturally occurring compounds in water are either benign or even good for our health. Some minerals maybe even essential to human health e.g. calcium and magnesium.

What are the types of Inorganic contaminants?

Who is at risk?

Everyone is susceptible, but infants and children are more susceptible since they drink more water relative to their size than adults do. This higher exposure combined with the increased vulnerability of infants to many chemical means increased risks, from virtually all contaminants in drinking water.

What are the sources of water contamination?

There are many causes for water pollution but two broad categories: direct and indirect sources of contamination.

What are the symptoms?

The levels of contaminants in drinking water are seldom high enough to cause acute health effects but generally associated with chronic health effects or cancers especially if the contaminants have carcinogenic potential.

Acute health effects: nausea, lung irritation, skin rash, vomiting, and dizziness.

Chronic health effects: Effects that occur long after repeated exposure to small amounts of chemical.

Examples of chronic health effects maybe liver and kidney damage, damage to the immune system or neurological system.

How can we detect inorganic contaminants?

There are specific tests to determine each of the inorganic contaminants. Many of them are present in minute quantities in water due to naturally occurring sources but are significant only if they cross over the maximum concentration level (MCL).

What is the treatment?

This is dependent on type of toxicity and the degree of toxicity. Generally when its metal poisoning chelation therapy is done not only to neutralize not only toxicity but also to prevent further absorption from taking place.

How to Prevent?