Zinc in Drinking Water

When Zinc is elevated in your drinking water, it can cause gastrointestinal distress. In this article we’ll cover what Zinc is, how it gets into your drinking water, what levels are dangerous, and how to test for it.

 

Zinc in Drinking Water at a Glance:

 

Health Effects: The most common negative effect of Zinc is gastrointestinal issues.

MCL: 5 ppm

Test: Safe Home Metals in Water Test Kit

Treatment: Carbon Filters, RO, Ion Exchange, and Specialized Filters.  

 

What is Zinc?

Zinc is a natural element found in the environment. It is used in manufacturing to produce metals, metal coatings, batteries, and more.

Zinc is an essential trace mineral and is important for immune function. Since the body can not produce it’s own Zinc, this means that it must be obtained through your diet.

 

How Does Zinc Get Into My Drinking Water?

When rocks and soil containing Zinc erode, then Zinc can be released in the water supply. It’s also possible for Zinc to enter the water supply through industrial runoff from manufacturing or mining operators.

 

Negative Effects of Zinc in Drinking Water

Zinc has different effects based on if your consumption is short term or long term. In the short term, it can cause stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. In the long term Zinc in drinking water can cause anemia, decreased good cholesterol levels, and reduced copper absorption.

 

How to Test for Zinc in Drinking Water

To test for Zinc in Drinking Water, we recommend the Safe Home Metals in Water Based Liquids Test Kit. This kit will let you collect any water based liquid (well water, tap water, formula, milk, energy drinks, etc) and submit them to our EPA-Certified Laboratory for testing.

 

What to do if you Zinc Levels are too High

If your Zinc levels are too high in your drinking water, a reverse osmosis filter will be the most common method to low Zinc concentrations. Because Zinc is only harmful when ingested at high levels, a point-of-use filter can be used. This is a filter that only filters from one faucet instead of the entire home. This saves money and requires less maintenance than a whole home solution.

Other filters such as Ion Exchange may be used to remove Zinc. It’s important to talk to a filtration professional to ensure the filter you are installing is rated for Zinc.