MDI Biological Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA.
Dartmouth College, Steele Hall, Earth Sciences, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Aug;132(8):87006. doi: 10.1289/EHP13421. Epub 2024 Aug 21.
Exposure to arsenic (As) in well water is a well-documented public health issue for Maine and New Hampshire, as well as for other states in the United States and abroad. Arsenic contamination of well water in these locations is primarily attributed to metasedimentary bedrock that leaches As into groundwater. However, As can also enter groundwater reserves from soils contaminated by the historical use of arsenical pesticides. Approximately half of the households in Maine and New Hampshire rely on private wells, many of which have elevated As. Arsenic exposure has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, reduced infection resistance, and lower intelligence quotient in children. Despite these known health impacts, well water testing and treatment are not universal.
We have approached the problem of low well water testing rates in Maine and New Hampshire communities by developing the All About Arsenic (AAA) project, which engages secondary school teachers and students as citizen scientists in collecting well water samples for analysis of As and other toxic metals and supports their outreach efforts to their communities.
We assessed this project's public health impact by analyzing student data relative to existing well water quality datasets in both states. In addition, we surveyed private well owners who contributed well water samples to the project to determine the actions taken to mitigate As in well water.
Students collected 3,070 drinking water samples for metals testing, and 752 exceeded New Hampshire's As standard of . The AAA data has more than doubled the amount of information available to public health agencies about well water quality in multiple municipalities across both states. Students also collected information about well types and treatment systems. Their data reveal that some homeowners did not know what type of wells they had or whether they had filtration systems. Those with filtration systems were often unaware of the type of system, what the system was filtering for, or whether the system was designed to remove As. Through interviews with pilot survey participants, we learned that some had begun mitigating their exposure to As and other toxic metals in response to test results from the AAA project.
A school-based approach to collecting and analyzing private well water samples can successfully reach communities with low testing rates for toxic elements, such as As and other metals. Importantly, information generated through the program can impact household decision-making, and students can influence local and state policymaking by sharing information in their communities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13421.
井水砷（As）暴露是缅因州和新罕布什尔州以及美国和国外其他州的一个有据可查的公共卫生问题。这些地区井水砷污染主要归因于变质沉积岩，这些岩石将砷浸到地下水中。然而，砷也可以从历史上使用砷农药污染的土壤进入地下水储备。缅因州和新罕布什尔州约有一半的家庭依赖私人水井，其中许多水井的砷含量都偏高。砷暴露会增加癌症、心血管疾病、抗感染能力下降和儿童智商降低的风险。尽管存在这些已知的健康影响，但井水检测和处理并非普遍现象。
我们通过开发“All About Arsenic (AAA)”项目来解决缅因州和新罕布什尔州社区井水检测率低的问题，该项目让中学教师和学生作为公民科学家参与采集井水样本，用于分析砷和其他有毒金属，并支持他们向社区进行宣传。
我们通过分析学生数据与两个州现有的井水质量数据集进行对比，评估了该项目的公共卫生影响。此外，我们还调查了向项目提供井水样本的私人水井所有者，以确定他们采取了哪些措施来降低井水的砷含量。
学生们共采集了 3070 份饮用水样本进行金属测试，其中 752 份样本超过了新罕布什尔州的砷标准。AAA 数据使公共卫生机构获得的有关两个州多个城市井水质量的信息增加了一倍以上。学生们还收集了有关水井类型和处理系统的信息。他们的数据显示，一些房主不知道他们拥有哪种类型的水井，也不知道他们是否有过滤系统。那些有过滤系统的人往往不知道系统的类型、系统过滤的目的，或者系统是否旨在去除砷。通过对试点调查参与者的访谈，我们了解到，一些人已经开始采取措施减少砷和其他有毒金属的暴露，以应对 AAA 项目的测试结果。
通过收集和分析私人井水样本的学校方法，可以成功覆盖检测有毒元素（如砷和其他金属）率较低的社区。重要的是，通过该项目生成的信息可以影响家庭决策，学生可以通过在社区中分享信息来影响地方和州的决策制定。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13421.
