January 18, 2001
Contact: Jennifer Day , (313) 577-1058 , jday@med.wayne.edu

NEWS ALERT: EPA strengthens standards for arsenic in water supply after WSU research shows arsenic increases disease, death

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a new standard for arsenic in drinking water this week, about six months after Wayne State University School of Medicine Assistant Professor Michael Harbut published his findings that arsenic contributes to many of the leading causes of death, including heart disease and cancer.

The EPA revised arsenic standards by lowering the acceptable amount of arsenic in water supplies from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion. Although Dr. Harbut lobbied to have the standard reduced to 5 parts per billion, he said this new regulation will save lives.

“I’m very pleased with the lowering of the standard by 80 percent,” said Dr. Harbut, who works in the Department of Internal Medicine. “This will save thousands of lives every year and reduce suffering immensely for generations to come. I’m not as happy as I would have been if it had been more stringent, but we’re glad standards have been improved.”

Dr. Harbut published a peer-reviewed letter in the July/August issue of the Archives of Environmental Health arguing that the presence of arsenic in urine should be considered an independent risk factor for the development of many diseases, much like cholesterol is considered a risk factor for heart disease.

Arsenic has been associated with several types of cancers, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disturbances, diabetes mellitus and heart disease.

The largest U.S. water table contaminated by arsenic is in southeastern Michigan. Because of the Marshall Sandstone Formation, water supplies stretching from Jackson and Washtenaw counties through Oakland County and up into the tip of the Thumb in Huron County are high in arsenic.

However, arsenic also occurs naturally in virtually every aspect of the environment and can be released by volcanic eruptions, erosion and forest fires. Ninety percent of industrial arsenic is used as a wood preservative, but is also found in paints, dyes, metals, drugs, soaps and semi-conductors. Paper production, cement manufacturing, mining and burning fossil fuels also release arsenic in the environment.

A urinalysis can detect dangerous levels of arsenic in a person’s system. If water is contaminated, Dr. Harbut recommends using distilled water or water filters designed to remove arsenic.

For more information on the EPA’s action, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/ars_rule_factsheet.html.