Influences on domestic well water testing behavior in a Central Maine area with frequent groundwater arsenic occurrence.

ABSTRACT: In 2001 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted a new standard for arsenic (As) in drinking water of 10 μg/L, replacing the old standard of 50 μg/L. However, for the 12% of the U.S. population relying on unregulated domestic well water, including half of the population of Maine, it is solely the well owner's responsibility to test and treat the water. A mailed household survey was implemented in January 2013 in 13 towns of Central Maine with the goal of understanding the population's testing and treatment practices and the key behavior influencing factors in an area with high well-water dependency and frequent natural groundwater As. The response rate was 58.3%; 525 of 900 likely-delivered surveys to randomly selected addresses were completed. Although 78% of the households repor

SUBMITTER: Flanagan SV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4245378 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature