Selenium in drinking water

Summary: The presence of selenium in drinking water can cause adverse health condition. The necessity of purifying and disinfecting water and making it free of selenium is an absolute necessity.

Selenium is widely found in nature in form of ores containing other elements. It is a useful element and is used in photocopy machines as electronic components. The exposure of selenium in drinking water may lead to many health problems, however, the severity of the problem may range vary as per the amount of selenium ingested and the time period of exposure. Selenium gets collected in human tissues. The toxicity of this compound depends upon its existence in oxidized form or not. The oxidized form of selenium is biologically active and is readily absorbed by plants. It accumulates in the tissues and causes harmful effects.

Selenium is mainly released from the copper smelting or mining industries as the bye-product. Selenium which occurs naturally is shown to be carcinogenic to animals. People who are exposed to selenium for many years can experience numbness in finger tips, fingers or toes, fingernail or hair loss, or other problems related to circulation of blood. The EPA fixed the level of selenium in drinking water to be under 0.05mg/L or 50 parts per billion. Selenium can be removed from drinking water by filtration or coagulation, reverse osmosis, by using activated alumina, reverse osmosis or by electro dialysis.

There are many companies that provide water treatment solutions based on the latest technology. The machine manufactured by these companies are technologically advanced and eco friendly. They consume less amount of power and are save a large of electrical energy. They are small and compact and can be easily carried from here to there. They are available at lower costs and their installation, maintenance is easy and cost effective. With the help of these technologies it is easier to detect and remove selenium in drinking water.