Commercial Filter’s Performance in Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water

Although Arsenic is a common element in our daily lives. Mostly existing in soils, it can also be carried into bodies of water by runoff from rain. Ingestion of too much of the element can lead to serious health issues. Other than being fatal over long exposures or high doses, Arsenic causes various levels of nausea, muscle weakness and rashes to name a few symptoms. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than 10 parts per billion in everyday drinking water. However, in areas not accessible to large treatment plants, there is little in the way of making sure common drinking water is arsenic free. Our goal is to confirm the viability of commercial filters in the removal of Arsenic from drinking water. The experiment will consist of running water through 3 different commercial filters with 100ppb of arsenic dissolved in the water supply and determining which performs the best. Tests are then run using Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to grade the filters. The level of effectiveness the commercial filter offers will provide a base line to compare other solutions to, such as iron oxide coated Polyurethane foam, sand and 3D printed filtration units