Across Minnesota, nearly half of all new private wells tested in recent years have shown traces of arsenic—an invisible toxin that has no smell, taste, or color in drinking water. More than 1 in 10 wells exceeded the federal safety limit, according to state data, raising concerns among homeowners and local officials about long-term health risks.
Arsenic might be best known as the “king of poisons,” linked to covert killings as far back as ancient Greece and Rome and later to widespread accidental poisonings in the 19th century when it was used as a tint in wallpapers, pigments, fabrics, and even candies.
Today, it’s no longer used in consumer products, but it’s still lurking in some parts of the country…