How Manganese in Drinking Water Affects Your Health and Wellbeing
- Published:
- Updated: December 27, 2024
Summary
Manganese, a vital trace mineral, affects health in balanced amounts. Its presence in drinking water, sourced naturally or via human activities, demands attention for maintaining safe levels. Deficiency, although rare, can impact bone and reproductive health. Conversely, overexposure can lead to neurological and cognitive issues, especially in children.
- Sources of Manganese in Drinking Water
- Health Effects of Manganese Deficiency
- Risks and Regulations for Manganese Overexposure
Manganese is a trace mineral, found in all rocks and soil. But it’s also an incredibly necessary food for humans and is involved in so many aspects of our bodies. Manganese, for example, is needed to make bones and connective tissue, to function in metabolism, and is a cofactor of many enzymes.
Manganese helps keep us healthy in proper amounts, but it’s a "Goldilocks" nutrient – too little, too much and you’ll suffer health problems. And it’s that fine line that explains why we should know manganese, not just in our water, but in our health.
Sources of Manganese in Drinking Water
Manganese goes into our drinking water via natural and man-made processes. It can also be drawn down to water from rocks and soils around it, especially in groundwater. Mining and industrial processes, meanwhile, are sources of manganese contamination by humans.
Manganese, for instance, is often added to the water for treating taste and odour as well as other toxins. But if you don’t treat it properly, the treated water may still have manganese left over. Therefore, you need to control these sources in order to have safe manganese levels.
What are the health effects of manganese deficiency?
The bare minimum of manganese deficiency is rare in humans, but it can be fatally low. Manganese plays a role in bone function and, if we are lacking it, we could develop diseases such as osteoporosis. Also, manganese affects fertility, and a deficiency could affect fertility.
Not only are these impacts very unlikely to be associated with acute, chronic deficiencies, but that’s about the only one. A good amount of manganese is taken up in food by most people. But some of us (with certain dietary limitations, for example, or with problems with absorption) might be at particular risk of lack.
Health Effects of Manganese Overexposure
Manganese is healthy but not too much. When manganese is consumed in excess (mostly through water) the disease manganism develops – a syndrome with neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.
Additional possible consequences of manganese excess can include cognitive problems like learning and concentration issues and behaviour changes. Children are especially at risk from these impacts because their brains are still evolving, so monitoring manganese levels properly is crucial for families with children.
Regulations and Safe Limits for Manganese in Drinking Water
Numerous health agencies have established manganese limits in drinking water. The secondary limit of 0.05 mg/L established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) addresses cosmetic (staining, taste, etc) rather than health-related problems. While the World Health Organization gives a health-guideline value of 0.4 mg/L.
These rules aim to protect the public health and also consider practical and economically viable water treatment strategies. As long as drinking water meets these standards, we don’t over-expose to manganese from our drinking water.
Testing for Manganese in Your Water Supply
There are a couple of ways to test your drinking water for manganese if you’re worried. There are also home testing kits that deliver instant but not as reliable results, and water lab that provides high quality results.
Getting regular testing is especially helpful if you use private water, such as wells, which are not regulated like city water. You can learn your water’s manganese level to make decisions about treatment and nutrition.
Techniques for Removing Manganese from Drinking Water
There are a couple of treatments that can cure your water if you have manganese-rich water. These include:
Oxidation/filtration equipment: These transform suspended manganese into filterable form.
Water softeners: This will pull out manganese, but usually best at lower levels.
Reverse osmosis: They are good for detoxifying any sort of contaminant, such as manganese, but also demineralize the water and have higher upkeep.
Which one to go with is dependant on your water quality and logistical limitations. You may, in some cases, want to call a water treatment company for individual advice.
How can you protect yourself and your family from overexposure to manganese?
There are a few things you can do to avoid manganese overexposure in yourself and your family. If your water is high manganese, then you can cook and drink from filtered or bottled water. You can also avoid manganese accumulation and stains and other cosmetic problems by cleaning appliances and fixtures regularly.
Teaching yourself and your family how to get the proper amounts of manganese in, where manganese is found in the environment, and how to manage exposure can make all the difference for your health and wellbeing. Always stay in moderation, after all manganese isn’t the bad guy but a very necessary nutrient, and just like everything in life, it’s better taken in moderation.
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