Heavy Metals

May 5, 2025

Name	Symbol	USEPA PPM DW Limit	Typical Sources	Health Issues
Arsenic	As	0.018	Soil erosion, electronics and glass manufacturing waste	Skin damage, problems with body’s blood circulation, carcinogenic, neurotoxin
Barium	Ba	2.0	Soil erosion, drill waste, metal refineries	Elevated blood pressure
Cadmium	Cd	0.005	Galvanized pipe erosion, soil erosion, old batteries and paint	Kidney damage and male castration
Chromium	Cr	0.1	Soil erosion and industrial waste	Skin damage and carcinogenic
Lead	Pb	0.015	Soil erosion, old plumbing and paint	Slow child development, kidney issues and high blood pressure
Mercury	Hg	0.002	Soil erosion, industrial waste, landfill runoff	Kidney damage, brain damage
Selenium	Se	0.05	Soil erosion, mine discharge, oil refineries	Hair & fingernail loss, neurological issues, poor blood circulation
Silver	Ag	0.05	Soil erosion, industrial waste, landfill runoff	Kidney damage, skin discoloration

NOTES:

Some trace level of one or more heavy metals exists in many public drinking water supplies.
How the drinking water limits were established is not published. Actual laboratory testing or knowledge obtained by reviewing public health records of populations on a contaminated source?
There appears to be no published information on health issues that arise when two or more of the listed metals exist in the same supply.
Reduction to below detection levels of trace heavy metal levels within a home:

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