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UC Berkeley Awarded EPA Funding for Creating Technology to Remove Elevated Levels of Arsenic from Groundwater

Arsenic Testing Services

Category	Press Release
Publish Date	6/1/2022
Author	Paul Cochrane
Title	UC Berkeley Awarded EPA Funding for Creating Technology to Remove Elevated Levels of Arsenic from Groundwater
Introduction	LA Testing provides laboratory services and sampling supplies to identify arsenic and other contaminants from water sources to protect the public and to help keep companies and utilities in regulatory compliance.
Huntington Beach, CA, June 1^st, 2022 Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it had awarded $99,998 in funding to an interdisciplinary student team at the University of California - Berkeley for creating a new technology that removes arsenic from groundwater. A group of students created the novel technology and have partnered with a local community in the Central Valley to field test the arsenic remediation technology. Arsenic is an element that occurs naturally in rocks and soil. It is also used for a variety of purposes within industry and agriculture. Unfortunately, arsenic and many of its compounds are also potent poisons. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recognizes arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds as group 1 carcinogens. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that arsenic has been linked to a number of cancers, including cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate. Non-cancer effects of arsenic exposure listed by EPA include: Thickening and discoloration of the skin, Stomach pain, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Numbness in the hands and feet, Partial paralysis, and “Arsenic can enter drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth, which are quite common in the Western United States, or from agricultural and industrial practices,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “In water it is tasteless and odorless so testing for it is the only way to know if it is present. The maximum concentration allowed in drinking water by EPA is 10 ppb. However, EPA does not regulate private wells and the agency estimates that more than 13 million households in the United States rely on private wells for their drinking water. Private well owners are responsible for the safety of their water and this is why testing for contaminants, such as arsenic, is so important.” To help identify potential arsenic exposure risks in California, the water quality experts at LA Testing provide contaminant testing services. These tests are available to water utilities, water system operators, wastewater treatment providers, regulators, private well owners, and the general public. LA Testing also recently sponsored an educational video about testing drinking water for arsenic that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/zpwmcBPKw08 To learn more about testing for arsenic or other environmental, health and safety issues, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. About LA Testing LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash, and smoke damage, particulates, and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health, and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro, San Diego, and Ontario.