Arsenic Water Contaminant: Skin Lesions / Skin Cancer Linked to Arsenic Exposure we asked ChatGPT

Note:  We were getting Questions about Skin Cancer, Lesions and individuals having Arsenic in their drinking water – so Our Licensed Esthetician (Samantha) to ask ChatGPT a few questions.

Arsenic exposure can lead to various skin lesions and is also a known carcinogen, meaning it can increase the risk of developing cancer, particularly skin cancer. Here’s an overview of the relationship between arsenic, skin lesions, and cancer:

Skin Lesions Associated with Arsenic Exposure

Chronic Exposure: Prolonged exposure to arsenic, particularly through contaminated water, soil, or occupational settings (e.g., mining, agriculture, and smelting), can lead to visible skin changes. Skin lesions related to arsenic exposure can include:

• • Hyperkeratosis: Thickening of the skin, often in the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or other areas.
  • Pigmentation changes: Dark or light spots, commonly seen on the back, chest, and extremities. These are often described as “raindrop pigmentation.”
  • Nodules and Warts: Arsenic can cause the development of benign wart-like growths or nodules on the skin.

Arsenic and Skin Cancer

Carcinogenic Effects: Arsenic is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), meaning there is sufficient evidence that it can cause cancer in humans.

Skin Cancer Types: Prolonged arsenic exposure is primarily associated with an increased risk of skin cancers, especially:

• • Non-melanoma skin cancers (such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma).
  • Melanoma: Though less commonly, arsenic exposure has also been linked to an increased risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer

 

Read More on Arsenic Skin Cancer / Skin Lesions

John F Kennedy Jr. USA Department of Health Czar – We Ask ChatGPT about Fluoride

Since the New Administration appears to  have selected John F. Kennedy, Jr. (JRK Jr.) (a Lawyer) the new Health Czar and Head of the USA Department of Health, we thought it might be wise to ask ChatGPT about Fluoride.

Here is what ChatGPT had to say.  We added the links for context.

Fluoride in drinking water is a common practice in many countries, including the United States, as a public health measure to help reduce tooth decay. Here’s a summary of what it is, how it works, and some of the debates surrounding it:

What is Fluoride in Drinking Water?

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that, in small concentrations, can help prevent dental cavities. It is often added to public water supplies to improve oral health across communities. The fluoride concentration in drinking water typically ranges from 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter (mg/L), depending on local regulations and natural levels.

How Does Fluoride Help with Dental Health?

When you drink water containing fluoride or use toothpaste with fluoride, it helps strengthen your teeth by:

1. Re-mineralizing enamel: Fluoride helps repair the early stages of tooth decay by enhancing the process of re-mineralization, where lost minerals are replaced in tooth enamel.
2. Preventing demineralization: Fluoride inhibits the process of demineralization, where acids from food and drink can erode enamel.
3. Inhibiting bacteria: It can also reduce the ability of harmful bacteria in the mouth to produce acids that cause cavities.

Benefits of Fluoridated Water

• Reduced cavities: Numerous studies have shown that communities with fluoridated water have lower rates of tooth decay compared to those without it.
• Cost-effective: Fluoridated water provides a relatively low-cost way to improve public health, especially for those who may not have access to regular dental care.
• Equitable health benefits: Fluoridation can be beneficial for people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, helping to reduce health disparities.

Safety of Fluoride in Drinking Water

Most health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and American Dental Association (ADA), have endorsed the practice of water fluoridation as a safe and effective measure to reduce tooth decay. However, they also stress that fluoride should be used in proper amounts, as excessive fluoride can lead to a condition known as fluorosis.

More of the article on Fluoride

Perchlorate EPA Seeks Input on National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Contaminant Perchlorate

WASHINGTON (October 3, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit entities to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) providing advice and recommendations to a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel. This SBAR Panel will focus on the agency’s development of a rule that will regulate perchlorate in drinking water to protect public health.

EPA is developing a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for the chemical contaminant perchlorate (ClO₄^–) under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and as required by court orders. EPA has committed to issuing a proposed NPDWR for perchlorate by November 2025 and a final regulation by May 2027.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires agencies to establish an SBAR Panel for rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The SBAR Panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the EPA. The Panel members ask a selected group of SERs to provide advice and recommendations on behalf of their company, government, or organization to inform the Panel members about potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities.

The EPA seeks self-nominations directly from the small public water systems (serving 10,000 or fewer people) that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such as trade associations that exclusively or at least primarily represent potentially regulated small public water systems, may also serve as SERs.

Self-nominations may be submitted through the link below and must be received by October 7, 2024.

Nominate yourself as a SER.

Visit the EPA’s perchlorate in drinking water webpage for more details.

For further information: Contact: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

New Drinking Water Educational Booklet

Over Pumping Well Water Causes Problems – Low Yield Well –   Can your water well be over-pumped?

Over Pumping Well Water Causes Problems – Low Yield Well –   Can your water well be over-pumped?

By Mr. Brian Oram, Professional Geologist

The simple and direct answer is Yes.  A water well can be over-pumped and when this occurs the actions can cause premature failure of pumps and motors, damage the wellbore integrity, decrease the wellbore yield, impact produced water quality, and ultimately decrease rate of production.

In most cases when a new well is drilled, the well driller reports the blown yield of the well.  This is typically the amount of water the driller can physically blow out the top of the well over a short period of time or in a very few cases this may be the rate they were able to pump from the well for a short time period.   This period of time is multiple hours, but more likely at most 1 hour.   This is not the long-term sustainable yield from the well and in many cases, this is all the water that was in the well.

The Know Your H20 program is based in Northeastern Pennsylvania and we have worked on a number of cases where the actual well yield of the well was significantly less than the blown yield for the well over the last 30 years.  One example:  (look for the red flags)

Well Case 1-   Pocono Vacation Home (2^nd Home)

This well is used intermittently during the year and used mostly over long weekends during the summer and ski season.  The well was drilled by a licensed well driller, but the pump/motor was installed by the home builder.  The well was 150 feet deep and reportedly the well had a blown yield of 10 gpm.  The well was serving 1 single family home (3 bedrooms) and the peak water usage should be equivalent to about 400 gpd.

We (Keystone Clean Water Team) were called out because the homeowner was getting very dirty water that contained a lot of “gas” and at sometimes no water.   We looked at the available well log for the well and drillers notes and we found the following:

1. Primary water bearing zone was at 100 feet, static water level at 45 feet top of casing (toc), and a blown yield (15 minutes) of 10 gpm. We searched and found the actual drillers log in the PAGWIS Database.
2. Pump was set at 120 feet or 20 feet off the bottom of the well. Note:  Is not a good idea to install a pump below the primary water bearing zone.  We got to review the actual plumbers bill and notes on the pressure tank.
3. The pump that was installed was rate at 10 gpm, but from the pump curve this rate would apply to a dynamic water level of 120 feet and not the more likely dynamic water level of about 80 feet or 20 foot above the water bearing zone. Therefore, the pump would initially pump at a rate greater than 10 gpm for some period of time.

These observations suggested that one of the problems was the well was being over-pumped.  After we investigated, this is what we found:

1. The actual static water level in the well was not 45 feet top of casing, but 80 feet top of casing. We used a sonic water level sensor.
2. We camera surveyed the well and tested the water and found that a bioslime layer and scale coated the fractured zone.
3. We filled the borehole with water to 45 feet toc and turned on the pump and discovered that the pump was actually pumping at a rate of 15 gpm and not 10 gpm and if permitted the dynamic water level would drop to 130 feet toc. This means that the dynamic or pumping water level was below the point that groundwater would enter the borehole.   This means that the aquifer was no longer acting like a confined aquifer under pressure, but the aquifer was being drained.   We confirmed the well was being over-pumped.

We were correct the well is being over-pumped and the well also has a problem with bioslime/ scale formation.   Our first action item was to clean out the well and do some basic well development to increase the well conductivity and yield.   After cleaning out the wellbore and fractured zone using a combination of chemical cleaning and surging, the static water level was about 50 feet toc.   We then conducted a step pumping test that lasted a total of 4 hours and estimated that the “safe yield” of the well was more like 5 gpm and not 10 gpm.    We recommended that the pump be changed and the pump be set at a depth that could not draw the water below the water bearing zone.

Summary :  Therefore, what we really had was a low producing well that was not properly identified originally and then the pump installer (not the well driller) installed a pump with an excessive pumping rate at a depth that did not protect the aquifer.

Because this article is really about low producing water wells, we went looking for solutions and found “EPP Well Solutions” – https://eppwellsolutions.com/well-health  and their article on “Well Health”.    A few quotes from this article that we found most helpful:

“Over pumping is a common factor with the low water well. A well is over-pumped if the water is withdrawn at a faster rate than the well was designed for or the aquifer is able to produce. Over-pumping is the most common well problem that leads to premature well failure. Over-pumping not only depletes the groundwater aquifer (or source), but it rapidly increases the rate of corrosion, incrustation, and biofouling related problems. Over-pumping also increases the rate of sediment particles moving toward the well, causing plugging of the perforated area where water flows into the well. It can also cause the aquifer to settle and compact which further restricts water flow to the well.”

In the article, they highlighted the problems that might occur with over-pumping a well, which were perforation plugging (slotted casing),  mineral incrustation, and biofouling.  One that was not mentioned was natural decrease in aquifer porosity and conductivity.   In the case of our example, the aquifer was a confined aquifer under artesian pressure, which means that the pressure of the water in the formation were helping to keep the fractures open along the borehole walls.  When the well was over-pumped and the water was permitted to cascade into the well, this means that the weight of the earth and rock above the fracture could cause the fracture to partially close.

The typically solution to a problem with low yield wells are as follows:

1. Drill more than one well or attempt to modify the well by drilling deeper or hydrofracturing the well.
2. Installing some internal storage within the system, i.e., a storage tank and then using a second set of pumps to re-pressurize the system.
3. Supplementing the system capacity with surface water or a rainwater harvesting system.

EPP Well Solutions have developed a hybrid option using the Water Harvester System.  “The Well Harvester automatically harvests the water in the well while preventing the well from over-pumping itself. The harvested water is then pumped from their system into the house. Their system is compact and can fit in most garages or well houses and is able to harvest and store 215 gallons (or more with additional tanks) for use throughout the day. “

If you suspect you have this problem, we would recommend you review EPP WELL Solutions educational videos.  In addition, the company has a really interesting Emergency Well Hand Pump System.

Brochure on the Well Harvester System – https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f064f110a5809607307b409/t/651720188163296aa76c4151/1696014361571/Well+Harvester+Brochure+2023.pdf

Recommended Links

Well Harvester System – https://eppwellsolutions.com/well-water-system

Emergency Well Hand Pumps – https://pump.eppwellsolutions.com/

Rain Water Capture and Harvesting

WellSeal™ Gives Well Owners and Well Drillers Peace of Mind About Groundwater and Drinking Water Safety.

Secure the Water First, Buy the Land Second – groundwater location services

Water Testing and Contamination

The Top Drinking Water Contaminants in Well Water and City Water

Lead Service Lines – City Drinking Water

TapScore Water Testing Kits

National Water Testing Kits – Well Water

National Water Testing Kits – City Water

Other Educational links

Groundwater and the Water Cycle

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/groundwater-decline-and-depletion?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

https://news.stanford.edu/2018/06/05/overpumping-groundwater-increases-contamination-risk/

https://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/ba3468a2a8681f69872569d60073fde1/b235a3f65b62081b87256a5a005f5446/$FILE/WaterWells_module7.pdf

https://wellwater.oregonstate.edu/groundwater/understanding-groundwater/groundwater-and-wells

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/cone-depression-pumping-a-well-can-cause-water-level-lowering

 

 

Drinking Water Educational Booklet Private Water Wells and Tapwater Know Your H20

Drinking Water Educational Booklet Know Your H20 (Water) – Part of the Healthy Home and Healthy Water Outreach Effort.  The Booklet is a resource for private water well owners and customers of community and non-community water supply sources

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rick Grant, 570-497-5850

B.F. Environmental Updates Popular Drinking Water Guide

The 2024 KnowYourH2O guide includes updated and expanded content.

WILKES-BARRE, PA—August 12, 2024—B.F. Environmental Consultants, an environmental consulting firm providing a range of services throughout the Northeast, announced today that company consultants working with the Keystone Clean Water Team, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit, have released an updated version of their popular KnowYourH2O Drinking Water Guide. The new version covers both Private Water systems and Public Water supplies. It includes updated content, new graphics related to water well systems and lead service lines, and information about forever chemicals and PFAS.

“When we wrote the first version of this guide, people needed to know how to determine the quality of the water their families were drinking,” said Brian Oram, a professional geologist, soil scientist, and founder of B.F. Environmental Consultants. “A lot has changed since then, including new testing methodologies and new risks to our groundwater and drinkable water. What hasn’t changed is the vital importance of clean water. The 5th edition booklet provides a readily available fact-based source of information related to drinking water quality, contaminants, water treatment, and a means to easily understand your drinking water quality and identify problems.”

The new drinking water educational booklet is for private well owners, city water users, water professionals, and educators. It provides general information explaining certified water testing, chain-of-custody, and drinking water regulations and standards. It provides information related to the health (primary standards) or aesthetic (secondary standards) concerns for each parameter and provides information on water quality parameters that do not specifically have a drinking water limit.

Oram and the team at B.F. Environmental are key contributors to the Know Your H2O website, which includes basic water testing and water quality information, as well as educational resources designed to help better understand the complexities of water quality through a review of the basics of physics, chemistry, and biology that impact our water.

Oram was also instrumental in the development of a free Surface Water Quality Index Calculator, which is available to the public through the “Know Your H20” his company supports. The new online WQI Calculator provides a user-friendly website interface, allowing users to add a GPS location to the database or locate the unique sampling site, using an online mapping tool.

Using the tool, users input basic information about the surface water test site as well as other field data they have collected. The calculator then completes the necessary interpretations and generates the customized report. The online calculator provides the individual ranking or score for each parameter, calculates the weighted average ranking for the test site, and allows the user to generate a customized report for each sampling site.

For more information about any of these programs or to your copy of the new booklet, visit the website. Get a copy of the booklet signed by Brian Oram here. If you are looking to order 1 copy of this booklet, please use the form below.  If you are looking to order multiple copies, please contact Mr. Brian Oram at brian.oram@knowyourh2o.com or use this link.

About B.F. Environmental Consultants, Inc.

B.F. Environmental Consultants, based in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Poconos, has been providing professional geological, soils, hydrogeological, and environmental consulting services and professional, professional and environmental training courses, and environmental outreach and education, since 1985.

For more information about B.F. Environmental Consultants, visit www.bfenvironmental.com and https://www.knowyourh2o.com