More than 1.3 MILLION Californians may be drinking water with chemical linked to Parkinson’s

More than 1.3 million Californians may be drinking high levels of manganese, enough to cause cognitive disabilities in children and Parkinson’s-like symptoms in adults.

The discovery was made by researchers at the University of California – Riverside (UCR), who found that the mineral thrives in untreated wells in the Central Valley.

The study found private wells and public water systems, with nearly half of affected residents living in underserved communities — nearly 89 percent likely to have access to water highly contaminated with manganese.

Although manganese is found in water supplies worldwide, the US is one of the few countries that does not enforce a maximum level.

The research comes as the University of Los Angeles may have discovered a link between lithium in drinking water and autism.

Samantha Ying, UCR soil scientist and principal investigator, said in a statement: “It is a relatively small number of people, compared to the total population of the state, who get the contaminated water.

‘But the health risks are great for them.’

Recent studies have shown that exposure to excessive levels of manganese can cause Parkinson’s-like neurological symptoms as the mineral accumulates in the basal ganglia region of the brain.

The team notes that residents can take matters into their own hands by purchasing treatment options that range from oxidation and precipitation filters to water softeners, chlorination and reverse osmosis systems.

However, such water quality monitoring devices can cost up to $400 annually.

‘It is possible to purchase filters for manganese, but many people cannot afford them. We hope people in these communities can be subsidized to buy treatment options,” Ying said.

The team chose to examine Central Valley because it is recognized as one of the most productive and economically important agricultural regions in the US and is home to one-third of the state’s domestic resource users.

“These analyzes demonstrate the need for additional well monitoring programs that evaluate Mn and improve access to point-of-use treatment for domestic well users who are disproportionately burdened by the associated costs of water treatment,” reads the study published in Environmental science and technology.

The study of lithium in drinking water found that pregnant women who drank water contaminated with the mineral had a moderately higher risk of their offspring being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Lead study author Beate Ritz said in a statement: “Any drinking water contaminants that can affect the developing human brain deserve intensive investigation.

“In the future, anthropogenic sources of lithium in water may become more widespread due to the use of lithium batteries and their disposal in landfills with potential groundwater contamination.” The results of our study are based on high-quality Danish data, but need to be replicated in other populations and parts of the world.’

Ritz teamed up with Danish researchers who analyzed the lithium content in 151 public water pipes in Denmark, about half of the country’s water supply.

The team pulled from a nationwide database to find out which systems were supplied to homes with pregnant mothers from 1997 through 2013, then compared 12,799 diagnosed with autism against 63,681 children who did not have an autism diagnosis.

The results showed that autism diagnosis increased accordingly with higher lithium levels.

Compared to the lowest quartile of recorded lithium levels — in other words, those in the 25th percentile — lithium levels in the second and third quartiles were associated with a 24 to 26 percent higher risk of autism, the team shared in a study. press release.

“In the top quartile, the risk was 46 percent higher than in the bottom quartile.”