Mercury Removal and Your Drinking Water
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that can be found in very small amounts in everyday products. Mercury exists as an inorganic salt or as an organic compound. It is the inorganic type that is detected in drinking water. If we have a limited amount of exposure it is considered safe. However, a buildup of mercury in our bodies is very dangerous. If you are worried about mercury in your drinking water Kinetico has state of the art mercury removal systems for residential and commercial drinking water.
Why Remove Mercury from Drinking Water?
Mercury is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Most concerns related to mercury come from human consumption through food. However, well water can also contain damaging levels of mercury. “The U.S. EPA has found mercury in water has the potential to cause kidney damage from exposures at levels above the maximum contaminant level. No health advisories have been established for short-term exposures. However, on a chronic basis, mercury has the potential to cause kidney damage from long-term exposure at levels above the maximum contaminant level. The EPA has not discovered sufficient evidence to state whether mercury in drinking water has the potential to cause cancer over a lifetime” (source: wpa.org). If you fear you have mercury in your drinking water contact Kinetico for a water assessment to determine your need for mercury removal.
Mercury Removal Methods
Kinetico has two mercury removal systems that are used for residential application in homes with mercury contamination.
- Point-of-use Reverse Osmosis for drinking and cooking water. Kinetico RO systems will reduce levels of contaminants to well below the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) and, in most cases, leaves contaminants undetectable. An RO faucet is added to the kitchen sink and the refrigerator, when applicable.
- Whole house absorptive specifically designed carbon is a common treatment method, although ion exchange is also an option.