Why should water be treated with Arsenic?

Drinking water pollution has many different types that pose a danger to all living organisms, and the most dangerous forms of drinking water pollution are pollution by toxic semi-metals. One of the most dangerous semi-metals, arsenic, is highly toxic when it is available in high concentrations in water. In addition to the difficulty in identifying water contamination with arsenic because arsenic has no odor or taste that can be tasted.

The danger of arsenic lies in drinking water contaminated with it, as it causes arsenic poisoning in its various forms, symptoms of arsenic poisoning may appear very quickly and severely, and it may take years for symptoms of arsenic poisoning to appear.

The danger of Arsenic contamination in water

Arsenic contamination of water poses a real danger to human health. The health effects and risks that result from contaminating drinking water with arsenic are more serious than contaminating water with other elements, such as the harmful effects of copper and lead in water. Drinking water contaminated with arsenic is the main cause of arsenic poisoning, which is the most common thing for arsenic to reach the human body and cause many health risks, although there are other causes that lead to arsenic poisoning, such as eating or inhaling marine crustaceans and fish contaminated with it and many other reasons that will be explained later, the most prominent reason remains the contamination of surface water and groundwater with it and its penetration into rocks and soil, and then its transfer to drinking water that people eat in large doses, which causes:

1. Severe arsenic poisoning and its symptoms are vomiting, nausea, general weakness, severe diarrhea, blurred vision, convulsions, headache, severe dehydration, feeling thirsty, heart muscle disorders, stomach pain, skin rashes, and then entering the injured person into a coma and death if he was delayed.
2. Chronic arsenic poisoning, which is most common when drinking water contaminated with arsenic for long periods of time, as the kidneys inside the human body get rid of arsenic less efficiently because of its continuous accumulation, which leads to high levels in the body in a cumulative and continuous manner without feeling it and no symptoms appear directly, but it causes Many serious diseases after a period of time that may reach years such as reproductive system disorders, kidney cancer, diabetes, lung cancer, bladder cancer, skin cancer, and night blindness. hair loss

The largest cases of arsenic poisoning in water

In Bangladesh, years ago, there was a humanitarian disaster and cases of wholesale water poisoning due to the containment of arsenic in drinking water. This has led to many deaths and the spread of other diseases. UNICEF and the Government of Bangladesh are adopting development plans that continue to this day. To reduce water contamination with arsenic and its health effects, after a huge network of lines was installed to deliver drinking water to homes. The discovery of arsenic contamination of water and the spread of many diseases there, especially among children and the elderly.

Causes of arsenic poisoning

Although arsenic contamination of water is the biggest and most important reason. Because it is one of the natural elements that exist geologically within rocks and soil, water and land. However, there are other causes of arsenic poisoning that lead to the same health risks that we talked about previously. These are the most important reasons that lead to arsenic poisoning.

1. Drinking surface or groundwater that contains arsenic concentrations greater than 0.01 mg per liter of water, according to the estimates of the World Health Organization.
2. Inhalation of arsenic gas, which is found in pesticides and industrial places. Which smelting and processing metals containing impurities of arsenic and microchip factories, which is a highly toxic gas.
3. Eat seafood that contains high concentrations of arsenic. As well as eating rice contaminated with arsenic, as it is greatly reduced inside the rice after the rice absorbs it from the water and soil.
4. Exposure to direct arsenic poisoning in glass factories, herbicide factories, rodents, algae, ceramic factories, wallpaper, and paint factories, where arsenic enters all of these industries.
5. Medical errors may occur at the dentist during the killing or excision of the tooth nerve.
6. Where Arsenic is used medically in such cases, provided that the apical foramen of the pulpal ducts is not exceeded from the tooth or the presence of part of the arsenic inside the tooth.

In addition, arsenic has the ability to easily react with other elements, such as chlorine.

Water filtration and treatment of Arsenic

The water filtration process takes more than one approach and has different methods that depend on various methods and means of water treatment. According to the available capabilities and the targeted results for removing arsenic from the water, and the type and source of the water on which the treatment process is taking place. These effective methods include ion exchange, reverse osmosis, calcination, and sedimentation. Since the process of filtration and treatment of arsenic from water varies from one source to another, it is more common in groundwater and less in surface water. It is also found in industrial wastewater contaminated with water that results from the paint and ink industries.

Pesticides industry, gold extraction, ammonia industry, wood panel industry, petroleum refining, coal washing, and other various industries. Therefore, water filtration depends on several factors, the arsenic ion may be pentavalent or trivalent. As well as the yield of water treatment by coagulants for the different stages. As well as the pH during the water treatment process. Water treatment experts determine the optimal method for the filtration process needed to isolate arsenic, depending on the nature of the water and use.

To find out more about the type of water treatment that best suits your needs, contact us.