Lab results from the first sample, collected from a well that supplies water to the municipal seat, revealed arsenic content of 0.940 milligrams per liter, or 94 times higher than the recommended safe level.
When the same water reaches residents’ homes, up to 0.377 milligrams of arsenic per liter remain, testing on the third sample showed.
Elevated levels of lead are also common.
The natural composition of the area’s soil causes the heavy metal contamination although water from a different Zimapán well registered negligible arsenic levels and was deemed safe for human consumption.
Édgar, a 38-year-old Zimapán resident, has problems with his vision as well as white spots on the skin of his hands.
Yet he remains largely unfazed and nonchalant, as do many other residents with whom El Universal spoke.
However, former mayor José María Lozana, who was in office when the municipality’s new water treatment plant opened in 2011, disagrees.
He told El Universal that the water problem is real and exacerbated further because the supply also picks up rust from pipes after treatment.
Before additional action is taken and despite residents’ reluctance to recognize it, the water risk in Zimapán remains.
Source: El Universal (sp) Sponsored