HEAVY METALS NOT DETECTED:
Arsenic
Barium
Cadmium
Copper
Magnesium
Mercury
Nickel
Selenium
Zinc
HEAVY METALS DETECTED:
Aluminum*
Iron*
Lead*
Manganese^
Symbols:
* – Chalillo site
^ – Chalillo Site, Cristo Rey and San Ignacio
We’ve published in our weekend edition of Amandala the water sample results from Pace Analytical Services in the US for 13 heavy metals that could be of public health concern at the Chalillo dam and downstream of it.
Of note is that 9 of the heavy metals were not detected in the samples; however four were found present at high levels, particularly at the Chalillo site for samples taken August 18, 2009. (Samples taken 4 years ago (2005) indicated no problems with heavy metals, a public health source indicated.)
Amandala spoke Friday with a water analyst in the Ministry of Health/Public Health Department, Anthony Flowers, to get his interpretation of the test results, and he advised us that the results are not showing anything of health concern.
The test results for iron do show an unexplained anomaly in that the levels were reported at 3.7 and 3.8 milligrams per liter at the Chalillo impoundment and tailrace, respectively, but were not detected downstream at Cristo Rey and the wooden bridge at San Ignacio/Santa Elena.
According to Flowers, iron in water becomes a concern when it is above 0.3 milligrams per liter, and at very high concentrations, iron could pose a health risk, especially for children.
At a press conference in August, Senior Public Health Inspector, John Bodden, currently on leave, had given the press an overview of Belize’s water quality program, explaining the health implications of iron: substantial presence of this metal, which affects taste and appearance of water, causes damage to fixtures; but, he claimed, it is not a health concern at concentrations normally found in drinking water.
Much more worrying would be the presence of the more serious heavy metals: mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, which are known to cause neurological damage, cancer, and kidney disease.
The Pace lab results claimed that none of these were detected in the samples sent from Belize.
As for the manganese found in the Belize water samples above the internationally accepted limit, and the limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO), Flowers explained that the 0.05 mg/L benchmark is for aesthetic purposes, because with manganese above that level, the water starts to discolor. WHO has no benchmark for adverse health effects, he indicated.
Belize also has no national standards for heavy metals in drinking water and according to the water analyst, we rely on the WHO guidelines.
At the time of the press conference in August, when the Macal River was badly discolored from massive siltation, Bodden had advised people not to drink water from the river if it is not treated and not to swim in the river.
Reports out of Cayo indicate that the coloration of the river has improved; however, as far as we are aware, the public health advisory has not been lifted.
The advisory against drinking untreated water, said Flowers, was more based on concerns that the water may contain bacteria and faecal coliforms that could have caused illnesses and skin rashes.
Officials need to keep monitoring the situation, said Flowers, indicating that for now, there is no need for alarm.