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DEPARTMENT <br />OF HEALTH <br />Manganesein Drinking Water <br />Manganese occurs naturally in rocks and soil across Minnesota and is often found in Minnesota <br />ground and surface water. Your body needs some manganese to stay healthy, but too much can be <br />harmful. <br />Children and adults who drink water with high <br />levels of manganese for a long time may have <br />problems with memory, attention, and motor <br />skills. Infants (babies under one year old) may <br />develop learning and behavior problems if they <br />drink water with too much manganese in it. <br />FamilyHow to Protect Yourself & Your <br />The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) <br />developed guidance values to keep your <br />household drinking water safe. Because these are <br />guidance values, public water systems are not <br />required to meet these values and some do not. <br />If you have an infant who drinks tap water or <br />drinks formula made with tap water, a safe level <br />of manganese in your water is 100 micrograms <br />of manganese per liter of water (µg/L)* or less. <br />If you have an infant who never drinks tap water <br />or formula made with tap water, a safe level of <br />manganese in your water is 300 µg/L or less. <br />If everyone in your household is more than one <br />year old, a safe level of manganese in your <br />water is 300 µg/L or less. <br />Drinking water with a level of manganese above <br />the MDH guidance level can be harmful for your <br />health, but taking a bath or a shower in it is not. <br />Manganese in your water can stain your laundry, <br />cause scaling on your plumbing, and make your <br />water look, smell, or taste bad. Manganese can <br />also create a brownish -black or black stain on <br />your toilet, shower, bathtub, or sink. <br />The only way to know the level of manganese in <br />your drinking water is to contact your public <br />water system or have your tap water tested. All <br />water testing should be done through an <br />accredited laboratory. Contact an accredited <br />laboratory to get sample containers and <br />instructions, or ask your county environmental or <br />public health services if they provide water testing <br />services (see Search for Accredited Laboratories). <br />If you have a household water treatment unit, the <br />unit may reduce the level of manganese in your <br />drinking water (see Home Water Treatment Units: <br />Point -of -Use Devices for more information). MDH <br />and Dakota County conducted at study in 2016 <br />and found that water softeners can be an <br />effective way to reduce the level of manganese in <br />drinking water (see The Wells and Increased Infant <br />Sensitivity and Exposure (WIISE) Study). <br />*One microgram per liter (µg/L) is the same as 1 <br />part per billion. <br />Will IT FEW t• <br />Some Minnesota groundwater naturally has levels <br />of manganese higher than the MDH guidance <br />values. You may want to test your drinking water <br />for manganese, especially if infants drink your tap <br />water. You are responsible for keeping your well <br />water safe and testing it as needed. <br />Public water systems may test their water for <br />manganese, but they are not required to. You can <br />contact your public water system to find out if <br />they test the water for manganese. If your public <br />water system does not test for manganese, you <br />can arrange and pay for an accredited laboratory <br />to test your water. Remember that certain types <br />of home water treatment units may make the <br />level of manganese lower in your tap water than <br />what your water system detected. <br />