Filtered vs. Bottled Water <> Study: High Levels of Manganese in Water Impairs Childrens' IQ

Comparing Bottled Water to Filtered Water

http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/bottled_water_vs_filtered_water.php

"Therefore, while much tap water is indeed risky, having compared available data, we conclude that there is no assurance that bottled water is any safer than tap water." -- The Natural Resources Defense Council

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more sites:

** The Best Water Filters of 2010

http://www.metaefficient.com/water-filters/best-water-filters.html

http://water.epa.gov/drink/local/index.cfm

http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/gndwater/privatewells/

Tap%20Water%20Bottled%20Water%20Filtered%20Water_Which%20to%20Choose.pdf

Intellectual Impairment in School-Age Children Exposed to Manganese from Drinking Water

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.1002321

Maryse F. Bouchard, Sébastien Sauvé, Benoit Barbeau, Melissa Legrand, Marie-Ève Brodeur, Thérèse Bouffard, Elyse Limoges, David C. Bellinger, Donna Mergler

Background: Manganese is an essential nutrient, but in excess, can be a potent neurotoxicant. Despite the common occurrence of manganese in groundwater, the risks associated with this source of exposure are largely unknown.

Objectives: Our first aim was to assess the relations between exposure to manganese from drinking water and children’s intellectual quotient (IQ). Secondly, we examined the relations between manganese exposures from water consumption and from the diet with children’s hair manganese concentration.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 362 children ages 6 to 13 years living in communities supplied by groundwater. Manganese concentration was measured in home tap water (MnW) and children’s hair (MnH). We estimated manganese intake from water ingestion and the diet using a food frequency questionnaire, and assessed IQ with the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence.

Results: The median MnW in children’s home tap water was 34 µg/L (range: 1–2700 µg/L). MnH increased with manganese intake from water consumption, but not with dietary manganese intake. Higher MnW and MnH were significantly associated with lower IQ scores. A 10-fold increase in MnW was associated with a decrease of 2.4 IQ points (95% confidence intervals: -3.9, -0.9; P <>

Conclusions: The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that exposure to manganese at levels common in groundwater is associated with intellectual impairment in children.

Citation: Bouchard MF, Sauvé S, Barbeau B, Legrand M, Brodeur M-È, Bouffard T, et al. . 2010. Intellectual Impairment in School-Age Children Exposed to Manganese from Drinking Water. Environ Health Perspect :-. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002321 Received: 21 April 2010; Accepted: 07 September 2010; Online: 20 September 2010