Aug 21 2008
Arsenic and Old Agua
I like news stories about how things I’m already eating or drinking will help my diabetes. I’m less fond of news stories about how things I’m already eating or drinking are going to kill me. Recently, I got turned towards an example of the latter.
Everyone knows that arsenic is poison. What you may not know is that there are compounds that break down in the soil and when they do they produce arsenic that sometimes ends up in ground water. Like the water that ends up coming out of your kitchen faucet. Like the water you may be drinking aside.
Why I’m writing about this here is that trace amounts of arsenic in the body have been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. By testing urine samples, researchers found that type 2 diabetics have a higher concentration of trace arsenic than do non-diabetics. There is some question as to if diabetes is caused by the concentration of arsenic or if arsenic is concentrated in the bodies of diabetic folk, but at the very least there seems to be some connection.
Statements engineered to induce panic aside, arsenic in the the groundwater is a problem that the US Government is already aware of and has standards for. Within the past 10 years, these standards have become more strict.
I looked into water filters to see if my Brita pitcher at home was effective in removing arsenic from my water. Looking at the list of things they advertise as being effective, I was saddened to find that arsenic was not on them. There are filters I found that hook up to your faucet specifically to remove arsenic, though they started at about $120 and went up to over $400.
Water is a diabetics best friend most days. It’s cheap. It’s got no carbs, no fat and is good for you. But like everything else these days, it’s important to check the quality of what you’re getting.
The best thing I think you can do is get informed:
The article that sparked my interest.
The US Government’s website on the subject.
A fact sheet about arsenic in the water.
