MAGNESIUM
Lakes, rivers, and streams used in the U.S. as drinking water supplies, contain approximately 4 ppm of Magnesium. Safe Home offers a few kits that provide drinking water testing for magnesium in city or well water supplies.
Parameter Type: Drinking Water Testing for Volatiles
Parameter Name: Magnesium
What it is and Where it Comes From:
Magnesium is in the Periodic Table with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray solid which bears a close physical resemblance to the other five elements in the second column (group 2, or alkaline earth metals) of the periodic table: all group 2 elements have the same electron configuration in the outer electron shell and a similar crystal structure. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust[9] and the fourth most common element in the Earth (after iron, oxygen and silicon), making up 13% of the planet’s mass and a large fraction of the planet’s mantle. It is the third most abundant element dissolved in seawater, after sodium and chlorine. It is very abundant in nature. It can be obtained from sea water. Why is magnesium present in water? Many minerals contain magnesium for example dolomite and magnesite. Magnesium is washed from rocks and subsequently ends up in water. Magnesium has many different purposes and consequently may end up in water in many ways. Chemical industries add magnesium to plastics and other materials as a fire protection measure or as a filler. It also ends up in the environment from fertilizer application and from cattle feed. Magnesium sulphate is applied in beer breweries, and magnesium hydroxide is applied as a flocculant in wastewater treatment plants. Drinking water testing gives you several benefits like peace of mind, identifying contaminants in your water, and insight into health concerns. Safe Home offers Laboratory drinking water testing kits for magnesium, allowing you to collect your water sample and ship it directly to our EPA-Certified Laboratory. This platform of drinking water testing for magnesium will give you an accurate level based on the lowest level of a parameter our instruments can detect (Method Detection Level). Safe Home drinking water testing for metals can be used for city and well water supplies. Drinking water testing should be done any time you notice a significant change in your water quality.
Health Effects:
What are the health effects of magnesium in water? The human body contains about 25 g of magnesium, of which 60% is present in the bones and 40% is present in muscles and other tissue. It is a dietary mineral for humans, one of the micro elements that are responsible for membrane function, nerve stimulant transmission, muscle contraction, protein construction and DNA replication. Magnesium is an ingredient of many enzymes. Magnesium and calcium often perform the same functions within the human body and are generally antagonistic. Magnesium is also a mild laxative. There are no known cases of magnesium poisoning. At large oral doses magnesium may cause vomiting and diarrhea. High doses of magnesium in medicine and food supplements may cause muscle slackening, nerve problems, depressions, and personality changes.
Solutions to Contaminant Levels:
After drinking water testing, what is the next step? Water softeners are typically used to remove calcium and magnesium hardness in water by an exchange process. The calcium and magnesium are removed from the water and sodium is added in their place. Iron and manganese removal is accomplished in the same way by exchanging the iron and manganese for sodium. The iron and manganese are then removed from the softener resin bed through backwashing and regeneration. Ion exchange usually describes a process of purification of aqueous solutions using solid polymeric ion exchange resin. Aeration (also called aerification or aeriation) is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid. Who do I need to contact to find out more information about water quality in my area? Every community water supplier must provide an annual report to its customers, known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). The report provides information on your local drinking water quality, including the water’s source, contaminants found in the water, and how consumers can get involved in protecting drinking water. How often does the local public water system preform drinking water testing? Frequency of drinking water testing depends on the number of people served, the type of water source, and types of contaminants. Certain contaminants are tested more frequently than others, as established by the Safe Drinking Water Act. You can find out about levels of regulated contaminants in your treated water for the previous calendar year in your annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
