| Barium is a hazardous contamiant found in well water
and city water. This article discusses where it comes from
and how water testing can tell you if barium is in your water.
Once water testing tells you the level of barium in your water,
you can install the right water filter to remove it.
Have you ever heard of the metal barium? If you haven't, you're
not alone. Barium in water supplies just hasn't gotten the media coverage that
lead, arsenic and mercury have received in recent years. Nevertheless,
barium is just as dangerous to your health as those other
metals and shows up regularly in public water supplies.
Where Does Barium In Water Come From?
Barium was first identified in 1774 by Carl Scheele and first
extracted by Sir Humphrey Davy of England in 1808. Since then,
different forms of barium have been widely used in the manufacture
of countless products:
• Paint
• Tile
• Glass
• Rubber
• Textiles
• Electronics
• Paper
• Soap
• Cosmetics
• Pharmaceuticals
• Spark plugs
• Vacuum tubes
• Fireworks
• Fluorescent lamps
• Rat poison
Because barium is used often in so many manufacturing operations,
a lot of waste is produced that needs to be removed from the
environment. How much? In 2002, the Environmental Protection
Agency reported more than 222 million pounds of barium and
barium compounds were legally released into the air, landfills,
and waterways such as water wells, lakes, and rivers.
Ten states account for about half of all legal barium released
in this country:
1. Texas (17.1 million pounds)
2. North Dakota (15.7 million pounds)
3. Illinois (11 million pounds)
4. Alabama (10.2 million pounds)
5. Michigan (10.1 million pounds)
6. Colorado (10.1 million pounds)
7. Minnesota (8.8 million pounds)
8. Ohio (8.2 million pounds)
9. Montana (7.9 million pounds)
10. Indiana (7.8 million pounds)
And 26 additional states released anywhere from 1 -- 7 million
pounds of barium apiece into the environment. Of course, none
of these statistics take into consideration the illegal, unreported
dumping of barium metals into the environment.
How Barium Poisons Our Water Supply
In light of the millions of pounds of barium released into
the environment each year, it was only a matter of time until
this toxic metal made it into our public water supply. Even
worse, some forms of barium dissolve very easily in water,
meaning, once it enters the water supply, it can spread quickly
over great distances.
In fact, this has already occurred. Public water supplies
contaminated with barium are everywhere. The magnitude of
the problem grows worse with each passing day.
Looking at lab tests conducted on public water supplies that
crossed my desk over a week's time, I found the vast majority
showed some level of barium contamination. Some of the lab
tests I reviewed were conducted on water from six states:
Virginia, New York, California, Texas, Massachusetts and Oregon.
Again, these were only lab results that crossed my desk in
one week. But that also illustrates how widespread the problem
really is.
How Barium Affects Your Health
Exposure to small amounts of barium, dissolved in water, may
cause a person to experience these problems:
1. Breathing difficulties
2. Increased blood pressure
3. Heart rhythm changes
4. Stomach irritation
5. Muscle weakness
6. Alterations in nerve reflexes
7. Damage to your brain, liver, kidney and heart
To date, barium has not been shown to cause cancer and has
not been linked to infertility or birth defects. Not yet,
anyway...
I urge you to find out if barium and other harmful contaminants
are in your water supply. If they are, for the sake of you
and your family's health, you may want to consider a water
purification system that treats those specific problems. Please
be aware, however, no single system treats every problem.
Then, see your health practitioner about removing the contaminants
that may have accumulated in your body.
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