Re: Light Shot ~ ! antimony drinking water.
- From: TomWheelerAT@xxxxxxxxx (Tom Wheeler)
- Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 08:33:23 -0400
Ground Water & Drinking Water
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ANTIMONY
Drinking Water and
Health Basics
Consumer Factsheet on: ANTIMONY
List of Contaminants
As part of the Drinking Water and Health pages, this fact sheet is part
of a larger publication:
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations
This is a factsheet about a chemical that may be found in some public or
private drinking water supplies. It may cause health problems if found
in amounts greater than the health standard set by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
What is Antimony and how is it used?
Antimony is a metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other
elements. The most widely used antimony compound is antimony trioxide,
used as a flame retardant. It is also found in batteries, pigments, and
ceramics/glass.
Short-term: EPA has found antimony to potentially cause the following
health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL for
relatively short periods of time: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Long-term: Antimony has the potential to cause the following effects
from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: AND/OR- Antimony is a
(known/potential drinking water) human carcinogen. OR- No reliable data
are available concerning health effects from long-term exposure to
antimony in drinking water.
How much Antimony is produced and released to the environment?
In 1984, 64.5 million lbs. antimony ore was mined and refined.
Production of the most commonly used antimony compound, the trioxide,
increased during the 1980s to about 31 million lbs, reported in 1985.
Industrial dust, auto exhaust and home heating oil are the main sources
in urban air.
>From 1987 to 1993, according to the Toxics Release Inventory antimony
and antimony compound releases to land and water totaled over 12 million
lbs. These releases were primarily from copper and lead smelting and
refining industries. The largest releases occurred in Arizona and
Montana. The greatest releases to water occurred in Washington and
Louisiana.
What happens to Antimony when it is released to the environment?
Little is known about antimonys fate once released to soil. Some studies
indicate that antimony is highly mobile in soils, while others conclude
that it strongly adsorbs to soil. In water, it usually adheres to
sediments. Most antimony compounds show little or no tendency to
accumulate in aquatic life.
How will Antimony be Detected in and Removed from My Drinking Water?
The regulation for antimony became effective in 1994. Between 1993 and
1995, EPA required your water supplier to collect water samples every 3
months for one year and analyze them to find out if antimony is present
above 6 ppb. If it is present above this level, the system must continue
to monitor this contaminant.
If contaminant levels are found to be consistently above the MCL, your
water supplier must take steps to reduce the amount of antimony so that
it is consistently below that level. The following treatment methods
have been approved by EPA for removing antimony: Coagulation/Filtration,
Reverse Osmosis.
How will I know if Antimony is in my drinking water?
If the levels of antimony exceed the MCL, the system must notify the
public via newspapers, radio, TV and other means. Additional actions,
such as providing alternative drinking water supplies, may be required
to prevent serious risks to public health.
Drinking Water Standards:
MCLG: 6 ppb
MCL: 6 ppb
Antimony Releases to Water and Land, 1987 to 1993 (in pounds):
Top Ten States *AZ5057,074,128
MT02,338,697
TX24,817840,392
LA55,414344,762
WI1,445392,000
MO784188,266
WA63,22099,915
ID2,600140,250
TN687108,325
AL27,53669,503
Major Industries*Copper smelting, refining5057,074,128
Other nonferrous smelt.17,0152,383,947
Sec. nonferrous smelt.1,459803,398
Misc Indust. Organics18,424581,465
Porcelain plumb. fixtures1,445392,000
Petroleum refining111,527202,251
Misc Inorganic chems.4,962140,250
Plastics, resins2060,372
Storage batteries045,952
Synthetic fibers26,80312,535
* Water/Land totals only include facilities with releases greater than a
certain amount - usually 1000 to 10,000 lbs.
Learn more about your drinking water!
EPA strongly encourages people to learn more about their drinking water,
and to support local efforts to protect and upgrade the supply of safe
drinking water. Your water bill or telephone books government listings
are a good starting point.
Your local water supplier can give you a list of the chemicals they test
for in your water, as well as how your water is treated. Your state
Department of Health/Environment is also a valuable source of
information.
For help in locating these agencies or for information on drinking water
in general, call: EPAs Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791.
For additional information on the uses and releases of chemicals in your
state, contact the: Community Right-to-Know Hotline: (800) 424-9346.
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Last updated on Sunday, February 13th, 2005
URL: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/dw_contamfs/antimony.html
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