New safety concern about water supplies - KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports

New safety concern about water supplies

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AMARILLO, TEXAS - Area cities work hard to keep arsenic levels down in our drinking water, but a new study by a Texas Tech team might prove even the government's acceptable levels may have long term health consequences.

Drinking tap water with the currently allowed low arsenic levels over a long period of time may lead to memory problems, slower mental processing speeds and possibly an increased risk of Alzheimer's according to the study the team published last month.  But to confirm the still preliminary data, the EPA is giving them $500,000 for a two year study right here in West Texas.

How at the Amarillo City plant, they say at the current allowed levels of 10 parts per billion, arsenic isn't really a big deal. They add removing it even further would be extremely costly to consumers.