Distribution of arsenic hazard in public water supplies in the United Kingdom – methods, implications for health risks and recommendations
Abstract
Public water supplies in the United Kingdom are highly regulated and monitored and, in particular, have an outstanding compliance with regulatory standards, particularly with respect to the UK PCV (prescribed concentration value) for arsenic of 10 μg L−1. Nevertheless, many UK public water supplies contain arsenic at concentrations within a factor of 10 of the PCV. Given increasing concerns over detrimental health outcomes arising from chronic exposure to drinking water containing arsenic at sub-regulatory concentrations in the 100μg L−1 range, quantifying the distribution of arsenic intake from consumers exposed to arsenic via drinking water in the UK is indicated. Using the limited secondary summary water quality data available in the public domain from the Drinking Water Inspectorate and assuming a log normal distribution, we calculate that, in 2015, on the order of 105 consumers in the UK were supplied with drinking water with arsenic concentrations at or above 5 μg L−1; 106 at or above 2μg L−1 and 107 at or above 1μg L−1. However, examination of much more detailed secondary data kindly supplied by individual UK water supply companies indicates that the overall distribution of arsenic hazard is not log normally distributed and results in an overestimate of the number of the consumers exposed to high As concentrations using that assumption. Our more detailed analysis shows that approximately 130,000 consumers in the UK are supplied with drinking water with arsenic…
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