A primary goal of the Community Outreach Team is to provide useful information to the community about issues concerning children's environmental health and to solicit input from the community to help shape the direction of future research.

Currently, the Children's Center for Environmental Health and Disease Prevention at Dartmouth is investigating the possible health effects of arsenic and other heavy metals found in drinking water and food sources.

Did you know that?

• Low levels of arsenic are commonly found in food and the environment
• Arsenic can be naturally occurring in the environment or from man-made sources such as pesticides
• The national limit for arsenic in public water systems is 10 parts per billion. This limit balances health risks with cost of treatment and does not apply to private wells unless adopted by town governments.
• About 1 in 5-10 wells drilled in New Hampshire bedrock have been found to contain naturally occurring arsenic above 10 parts per billion
• Except for a handful of municipalities where testing is required, testing for arsenic levels in private wells in the state of New Hampshire is voluntary and at the discretion of the homeowner. Please contact your local Health Officer to learn about what testing is required as part of real estate transfers in your town.

If you use a private well as your primary water source, we encourage you to test your water for arsenic. Please click HERE to find out specific information from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services regarding well water testing.

Information about Arsenic in New Hampshire Well Water

Video: In Small Doses

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Health Services Arsenic Fact Sheet

New Hampshire Drinking and Ground Water Bureau

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Water Division

General Information on Arsenic

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Environmental Protection Agency: Just the Facts for Consumers

Resources for Children’s Environmental Health

Protecting the Enviroment: Children's Health, United States Environmental Protection Agency

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Children's Health

Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU)

PEHSU Region 1 (New England)

Other Resources:

EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water Resources

EPA Private Drinking Water Wells

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families