Nevada Needs Congress to Learn Blood Arsenic Levels

Nevada Needs Congress to Learn Blood Arsenic Levels



March 2007 - The community 
of Crescent Valley in Eureka County, with a population of just 
over 200 residents, has a drinking water arsenic level of 15 
parts per billion, ppb, according to the Nevada Department of 
Environmental Protection. 
This level is five ppb above the 2006 federal Safe Drinking 
Water Standard and since Eureka County presently has no 
exemption to this standard, it seems the county is not in 
compliance with the federal and state arsenic rules. 
Eureka County is not alone - 26 arsenic exemption applications 
remain pending, including water systems in Lander and Elko 
counties, until the State Environmental Commission meets again 
this fall to consider these applications. 
There are those in the mining and ranching community of 
Crescent Valley who are concerned about the effects of arsenic 
on themselves, their children, and senior citizens. They wish 
to find out their arsenic levels and to determine whether 
their current health problems are due to arsenic poisoning. 
Residents of Eureka County at the 2006 County Fair 
People are wondering whether their nausea, diarrhea and 
headaches are linked to arsenic ingestion and what kinds of 
diseases the elderly could be exhibiting that are linked to 
arsenic. 
But to get a comprehensive assessment and survey of the 
population's arsenic levels and health by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, will literally require 
Congressional intervention. 
Although the 2001 report "EPA Rule National Primary Drinking 
Water Regulations; Arsenic and Clarifications to Compliance 
and New Source Contaminants Monitoring" shows that the agency 
agreed with the National Research Council that studies of 
subpopulations such as children, teenagers, pregnant and 
nursing women and the elderly have been inadequate, the EPA 
has not commissioned or contracted out such studies. 
Tulbir Bakshi of the National Research Council, NRC, said the 
council has called on the EPA for additional studies of 
arsenic on sub-populations, but until they receive a contract 
from the EPA, the NRC cannot move forward. Bakshi said, "Call 
your senators," to get Congress to require the EPA to contract 
new arsenic health studies. 
The EPA has declared itself not subject to "Executive Order 
13045: Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks 
and Safety Risks." The agency states that this is because it 
"does not have reason to believe the environmental health 
risks or safety risks addressed by this action present a 
disproportionate risk to children." 
Arsenic in drinking water can cause serious health problems, 
even death. 
The EPA permits states to grant exemptions to the arsenic 
standard based on a determination that such a "variance will 
not result in an unreasonable risk to health (URTH) to the 
public served by the public water system." 
However, as subpopulation studies have been deemed necessary 
and have not been performed, how the EPA can offer such an 
assurance to the Nevada Department of Environmental 
Protection, the Nevada Environmental Commission, 
municipalities, the residents of Crescent Valley and the 
general public is unclear. 
The EPA itself states on the back of its CD, "Interactive 
Workshop on Arsenic Removal From Drinking Water," that 
"Studies have linked long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking 
water to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal 
passages, liver, and prostate. Non-cancer effects of ingesting 
arsenic include cardiovascular, pulmonary, immunological, 
neurological and endocrine (e.g., diabetes) effects. Short 
term exposure to high doses of arsenic can cause other adverse 
health effects." 
The EPA specifies that the public must be notified of the 
health risks regarding arsenic in their water system. After 
the new federal arsenic Safe Drinking Water Standard became 
effective on January 23, 2006, water providers "must provide 
public notification to consumers for any violations." 
Ask people in Crescent Valley the last time they were notified 
about arsenic in their drinking water or that they currently 
have no exemption, and they cannot remember. 
The Crescent Valley Town Center is the administrative hub of 
this central Nevada community. 
To access federal and state monies, Eureka County Public Works 
Director Ron Damele plans to use all nine years of possible 
exemptions before remediating Crescent Valley water. He has 
not done cost analysis of treatment options since costs will 
change in nine years. 
However, Bryan Swain of WERC: A Consortium for Environmental 
Education and Technology Development in New Mexico, which is 
part of the Arsenic Water Technology Partnership with Sandia 
National Laboratories, recommended visiting "our website at 
http://www.arsenicpartners.org" to use the CoAsT decision 
tool. 
Swain said the tool "will guide your water managers through a 
process and provide some suggestions for solution to your 
arsenic levels and associated costs." 
The Arsenic Water Technology Partnership program, supported 
with $7 million in congressional appropriations through the 
Department of Energy's Office of Science, moves technologies 
from bench-scale to demonstration. It enables water utilities, 
particularly those serving small, rural communities and Indian 
tribes, to implement the most cost-effective solutions to 
arsenic treatment needs. 
Even the 36 Nevada water systems that received the first 
exemptions to the federal arsenic standard are required by the 
Nevada State Environmental Commission to "investigate and 
secure, to the extent that funds are available, all sources of 
financial assistance by July 23, 2007." 
They must also "complete an evaluation of compliance 
alternatives, including retaining the services of an engineer 
and conducting pilot testing as needed." 
These 36 water systems must "select a final compliance option 
by January 23, 2008," although small systems serving 
populations of less than 3,000 may qualify for "an extension 
to this exemption if the system demonstrates significant 
progress during this three year period." 
Had Eureka County have received an exemption, it would be 
required to complete these steps. 
Some people in Crescent Valley are buying bottled water or 
installing water filters at home to avoid arsenic. A 
point-of-use filter that addresses arsenic is available at 
Home Depot in Elko for approximately $300, an expense seniors 
and low-income families can ill-afford. Some Crescent Valley 
people remain unaware of the arsenic in their drinking water. 
The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a 
videoconference water workshop on Friday, March 30 from 9 to 
noon. It will include an "overview of the latest technologies 
used for the removal of arsenic from drinking water supplies" 
including a "discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the 
technologies." 
Viewing is available in Crescent Valley at the elementary 
school and a viewing site is being arranged for the town of 
Eureka. For information contact Crystal Montecinos at 
775-240-1396, email: xtelle@aol.com. 
Symptoms of Arsenic Poisoning 
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 
ATSDR, describes symptoms of arsenic poisoning that include 
severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting and bloody 
diarrhea; cardiovascular and respiratory effects including low 
blood pressure, shock, congestive heart failure, and swelling 
and/or fluid accumulation in the lungs and respiratory 
failure. 
Symptoms of fluid accumulation in the lungs, known as 
pulmonary edema, include difficulty breathing, coughing up 
blood, excessive sweating, anxiety and pale skin. If left 
untreated, pulmonary edema can lead to coma and even death due 
to inadequate oxygen supply. 
Skin lesions on head and hand caused by arsenic poisoning of 
this man in Bangladesh 
Arsenic ingestion can cause neurologic effects including 
light-headedness, headache, weakness, lethargy, delirium, pain 
in the the peripheral nervous system, brain disorders, 
convulsions, coma, and narrowing of blood vessels in the legs 
and sometimes in the arms, restricting blood flow and causing 
pain. In severe cases, gangrene may develop, requiring 
amputation of the limb. 
Arsenic ingestion causes liver and kidney problems such as 
elevated liver enzymes, blood in the urine, smaller than 
normal elimination of urine compared to the amount of fluid 
consumed, increased protein in the urine, and death of cells 
in the kidney. 
Effects on the blood include low white, red and platelet blood 
counts. 
Horizontal lines of discoloration known as Mees' lines can 
appear on fingernails and toenails due to arsenic poisoning. 
Skin lesions may appear. Darkening of skin or nails and 
thickening of the skin are delayed hallmarks of chronic 
arsenic exposure. The classic appearance of dark brown patches 
with scattered pale spots is sometimes described as "raindrops 
on a dusty road." 
Anemia often accompanies skin lesions in patients chronically 
poisoned by arsenic; and lung cancer and skin cancer are 
serious long-term concerns in cases of chronic arsenic 
exposure. 
According to the ATSDR, arsenic toxicity can be determined by 
urine and hair analysis, blood and nerve testing. 





 

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