Table of Contents
Barium (Ba) in Water
A technical paper by Olympian Water Testing specialists
Barium in Water
Barium is a metal naturally occurring in sedimentary and igneous rocks. The metal contributes around 0.05% of the crust of the planet and is the 17th most plentiful in nature [1]. It is pure silver-white in its own right, but silver-yellow when exposed to the air. Barium comes as a powder and a crystal as a compound [1, 2]. But barium rarely occurs by itself, except together with other elements. It must be separated from compounds that occur naturally to get it pure. A handful of these barium compounds dissolve in water, and are dangerous for health as they easily get into the human bloodstream.
These include barium compounds that make machine parts for icu engines and bearings. In gas fields and oil wells, barium sulphate (Barite) is employed as a weighting compound and as a brake liner. It’s also used in medicine as contrast agent in CT scans and x-rays [3]. There is barium carbonate as a pesticide to kill rats and chlorate and nitrate versions of it that make fireworks green [4]. It is also present in corrosion inhibitors, high-octane gasoline, coal ash and leachate from landfills. Other barium elements are toxic when ingested, except barium sulphate (unable to be absorbed in the gut) [4]. So that is why our educational aim is to educate you on the use of barium, its effects on your health, how to reduce it, and how to avoid having barium in your water.
How Does Barium Interact with the Environment and Water?
Barium is present in the environment mostly as compound as an amalgamation of other elements [5]. The extent to which barium damages the body depends on what barium elements are in the water and whether they’re readily absorbed into the human bloodstream and dispersed in water [6] as reported by the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So exposure to barium traces in food and water is not usually a major issue for human health. But the faster that compound dissolves in water, the greater the health risk. How soluble the barium compounds are is a function of water pH. And of course, the more PH-acid the water, the more solubility will be. The most frequent forms of barium are sulfate and carbonate. Barium sulfate and barium carbonate are some examples of barium compounds that won’t dissolve well in water, but can persist for quite some time in the environment. Some fruits, seaweed, fish, and Brazilian nuts especially, contain more sodium than others. Who are most vulnerable to getting their bodies polluted with high levels of barium are the employees of barium-based industries. They’ll be exposed to air that’s rich in barium compounds (barium carbonate, barium sulphate).
Don’t forget that there are barium compounds in many hazardous waste sites that could harm those around you. Living near them can be a matter of eating the vegetation and soil, drinking the water contaminated with barium, or breathing in barium-contaminated dust.
Exposure sources and standard limits
Barium levels in the environment are low. There is only about 0.0015 barium per billion parts (ppb) of air. The level of barium in the air around factories that release its compounds is about 0.033 ppb. Most public and surface water contain about 0.030 ppb of water. However, water wells may contain more barium than EPA’s current standard of 2mg/L or 2000 ppb [9]. Levels as high as 10 ppm have been recorded in some underground water wells [6]. In soil, the levels may vary between 15 to 3500 ppm. Different US states have different standards. For example, Arizona state guidelines put the standard at 1.5 mg/L while California state guidelines put it at 1mg/L. Other agencies, such as The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) are 0.5 0.5 mg/m3 of soluble barium compounds in workplace air for 8-hour shifts and 40-hour work weeks and 15 mg/m3 of barium sulfate in total dust and 5 mg/m3 of barium sulfate for a respirable fraction [9].
Generally speaking, barium levels in watershould be undetectable or below 1 mg/L. However, US drinking water averages 0.03 mg/L but can go as high as 0.302 mg/L. People who live in states such as Kentucky, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Northern Illinois may be exposed to barium in groundwater as high as 10 times the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s maximum contaminant levels of 2.0 mg/L [1].
The average adult gets about 22mg of barium from consuming grains and vegetables. Some fruits, such as seaweed, fish, and Brazilian nuts, in particular, have high amounts of sodium than others. The people who are most at risk of getting exposed to high levels of barium are those who work in industries that use and make barium compounds. They are likely to breathe in air that contains barium compounds, such as barium carbonate and barium sulfate.
Remember, many hazardous waste sites have barium-related compounds that may expose those living nearby. Living around such places may result from eating the soil and plants, drinking water polluted by barium compounds, or breathing dust contaminated with barium.
How Barium Affects Human Health
Bariumis not a human carcinogen, and it is not harmful to human health at low levels. However, large quantities of barium can be toxic and even possibly deadly to human health [1].
Exposure to the soluble barium compounds may potentially cause gastrointestinal disorders and muscular weakening. Consuming beverages containing barium levels beyond those in food and water may develop nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, difficulty breathing, changes in blood pressure, facial numbness, and muscle weakness. Barium toxicity might cause eye, kidney, and skin damage; in extreme cases, it might result in cardiac arrhythmia, paralysis, and even death [9]. A study evaluating the clinical outcome of acute barium poisoning reported that Barium carbonate was the most common source of toxicity, while food poisoning was the most common way to get sick. The symptoms that the patients experienced included (vomiting, diarrhea, arrhythmias, hypertension, abnormal reflexes, paralysis, respiratory arrest/failure, and hypokalemia. The patients’ ECG results revealed that poisoning is highly correlated with ventricular extrasystoles, ST abnormalities, and deep U-waves, indicating the effect of hypokalemia on the heart [10]. Due to the effects of barium toxicity people most affected by barium toxicity include young children, pregnant women, and those with kidney problems, cardiovascular issues, and hypertension.
How to Determine if There is Barium in Well Water
Comprehensive testing can help determine the presence of barium and other elements in drinking water. These methods can be used to determine if barium is in your drinking water and how this can be solved.
Observational/Level 1 Testing
Level 1 testing is not an actual test but involves simple observations using the human senses. Sometimes, these observations are apparent, while in other cases, they may change as time elapses. There are indicators of high levels of barium in your water, including [1]:
- High water hardness levels. Usually, this comes with a grayish-white or white coating on taps and other water fixtures. You may also notice that the water is greyish.
- As outlined above, you and other people who drink the water show barium toxicity symptoms.
- You are located in a place with current or historical manufacturing and industrial developments that use barium.
Level 2 Testing/Do–it–Yourself
Do-it-yourself testing is done at home using test kits after level 1 testing to confirm your observations. However, level 2 testing is not recommended as this type of testing does not fully cover the elements in your water. Furthermore, individuals without training cannot conduct proper diagnosis and analysis [1].
Level 3 Testing/Informational Water Testing
Level 3 water testing is the most reliable type of water test and is done through an accredited water testing lab [1]. A certified water expert will collect a water sample from your home and take it to a lab where they will conduct a test that reveals the contaminants in your water that are a cause for concern. After this, you can determine the best treatment options for your case.
What to Do If Barium is In Your Well Water
As it is common for barium to be found in well water, you may need to take some immediate steps. For starters, you can stop consuming raw or untreated water as you consult with water treatment experts on the best options to reduce or remove barium from water.
Further, avoid boiling your water to remove or reduce barium. Boiling your water only increases the concentration of barium as water molecules evaporate. A good option in such cases would be to use bottled water, arrange for the delivery of safe drinking water by a water hauler, and to drill a new well elsewhere.
Treatment Options for Barium in Water
If you discover that the barium level in your water is elevated, treatment technologies can help reduce and eliminate it from the water. Depending on your needs, you may have to install a pretreatment or post-treatment system. Remember to schedule regular water tests to ensure that any systems you put in place are working properly and that barium levels are under control. Also, barium treatment systems may need maintenance at least once annually.
Some of the recommended solutions include:
Short-Term Water Treatment
If you find your water has elevated levels of iron, it would be helpful to install a point-of-use water system that eliminates barium and other positively charged ions from the water. Other cations that may be present in water include calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Good point-of-use solutions include reverse osmosis systems, distillation, ion exchange systems, electrolysis, and water softeners, which filter out those elements from the water [11].
Although reverse osmosis systems are inexpensive, they only have a limited daily capacity of a few gallons of processed water. The removal of the minerals will also have an impact on the water’s flavor, requiring the addition of minerals back into the water to improve its quality.
Distillation systems work by extracting the dissolved particles from the water. However, they can only produce a modest amount of water each day and be aware of the higher cost than reverse osmosis because they consume energy.
Ion exchange filters remove barium molecules by adsorbing them onto mineral particles or resins. However, the filters need to be changed frequently, and other water minerals may impact how well they work.
Lime softeners add calcium hydroxide to raise the pH of water, removing dissolved calcium and magnesium. The barium is eliminated along with precipitates of calcium and magnesium.
Electrodialysis uses an electrical current to push dissolved ions over an ion-selective membrane, forming concentrated ions on the opposite side. This method requires pretreatment (coagulation of small particles, oxidation of iron, and filtering) of water for effective operation.
Long-Term Water Treatment
Apart from short-term water treatment options, you may have to consider using long-term methods that rid your water of barium. You can consider a whole-house water softener system with filtration that can help eliminate minerals, heavy metals, chlorine by-products, and bacteria from the water
Such a system treats water at its point of entry. Therefore, all taps, showerheads, and other water sources in the house will only give treated water.
Here is the process a whole house water softener system goes through to clean water:
- Water enters the home and goes through a pre-filter, which eliminates water’s larger contaminants and impurities.
- Water is filtered for volatile organic chemicals and chlorine. These usually affect the air quality in the home before they evaporate.
- Water passes through activated carbon. At this stage, contaminants such as herbicides, pesticides, and copper are removed from the water.
- Water goes through filtration, removing any organic particles and sediments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Barium in Drinking Water
What is barium?
Barium is a metal. It takes on a silvery-white color in its pure form and silver-yellow once exposed to the air. It occurs in nature as crystal or solid compounds that do not burn well. Barium sulfate and carbonate are found in underground ore deposits, but it is also possible to find barium in drinking water and food. Since most barium compounds do not mix well with water, it is unlikely to find high amounts of barium in water [1,2,3].
Barium acetate, chloride, nitrate, hydroxide, and sulfide dissolve more easily in water compared to barium carbonate and sulfate [9]. However, they are not commonly found in nature and rarely end up in drinking water unless the contamination comes from barium compounds in waste sites.
How do you get exposed to barium?
The level of barium in the environment is generally very low and contains approximately 0.0015 parts per billion parts of air. Areas around factories where barium compounds are released have about 0.33 ppb or less of barium, while public water supplies and surface water have about 0.030 ppm or less. Areas with underground water wells may have more than the recommended 2ppm limit set by the EPA [2, 9].
How much barium should be in drinking water?
According to the EPA, the current safety recommendation for barium in drinking water should be 2.0mg/L. On the other hand, the OSHA recommends an occupational exposure limit of 0.5mg/ m3 of soluble barium compounds of air over an 8-hour workday [9].
How does barium affect human health?
The effects of exposure to barium depend on the solubility of the barium compound in the water and stomach. For instance, barium sulfate does not easily dissolve in water and is unlikely to cause any health effects [5, 6]. Doctors even use it to make rays for medical tests of the intestines and stomach. However, as they dissolve in water, other barium compounds such as barium acetate, hydroxide, chloride, and nitrate can harm human health. Barium carbonate easily dissolves in the stomach, causing negative health issues [4].
Some effects of drinking water with large amounts of barium compounds that can dissolve in the stomach include paralysis and changes in heart rhythm [6, 10]. In other cases, symptoms may include vomiting and diarrhea, difficulties in breathing, and decreased blood pressure. In worst-case scenarios where individuals do not seek medical intervention, barium toxicity can cause death
References
- KnowYourH2O Water Research Center: Get Informed | Barium,
- Canada Health: Barium in Drinking Water – Guideline Technical Document for Public Consultation,
- ACS: Barium sulfate,
- Barium carbonate is used in pest control as a rat poison, while chlorate, and nitrate versions are used for the green colors in fireworks. Indian Pediatrics. 49,.
- WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality: Barium in Drinking-water.
- ATSDR: Public Health Statement for Barium.
- Leusheva, E., Alikhanov, N., Morenov, V.: Barite-Free Muds for Drilling-in the Formations with Abnormally High Pressure. Fluids. 7, 268 (2022).
- Drilling muds. In: Petroleum Engineer’s Guide to Oil Field Chemicals and Fluids. pp. 1–61. Elsevier (2015).
- ATDSR: ToxFAQsTM for Barium, l
- Bhoelan, B.S., Stevering, C.H., van der Boog, A.T.J., van der Heyden, M.A.G.: Barium toxicity and the role of the potassium inward rectifier current. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 52, 584–593 (2014).
- FilterWater: Barium in Well Water,
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