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riftDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Manganese in Drinking Water Manganese occurs naturally in rocks and soil across Minnesota and is often found in Minnesota ground and surface water. Your body needs some manganese to stay healthy, but too much can be harmful. Health Effects Children and adults who drink water with high levels of manganese for a long time may have problems with memory, attention, and motor skills. Infants (babies under one year old) may develop learning and behavior problems if they drink water with too much manganese in it. How to Protect Yourself & Your Family The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) developed guidance values to keep your household drinking water safe. Because these are guidance values, public water systems are not required to meet these values, and some do not. If you have an infant who drinks tap water or drinks formula made with tap water, a safe level of manganese in your water is 100 micrograms of manganese per liter of water (µg/L)* or less. If you have an infant who never drinks tap water or formula made with tap water, a safe level of manganese in your water is 300 µg/L or less. If everyone in your household is more than one year old, a safe level of manganese in your water is 300 µg/L or less. Drinking water with a level of manganese above the MDH guidance level can be harmful for your health but taking a bath or a shower in it is not. Manganese in your water can stain your laundry, cause scaling on your plumbing, and make your water look, smell, or taste bad. Manganese can also create a brownish -black or black stain on your toilet, shower, bathtub, or sink. The only way to know the level of manganese in your drinking water is to contact your public water system or have your tap water tested. All water testing should be done through an accredited laboratory. Contact an accredited laboratory to get sample containers and instructions or ask your county environmental or public health services if they provide water testing services (see Search for Accredited Laboratories). If you have a household water treatment unit, the unit may reduce the level of manganese in your drinking water (see Home Water Treatment Units: Point -of -Use Devices for more information). MDH and Dakota County conducted at study in 2016 and found that water softeners can be an effective way to reduce the level of manganese in drinking water (see The Wells and Increased Infant Sensitivity and Exposure (WIISE) Study). *One microgram per liter (µg/L) is the same as 1 part per billion. If you have a private well Some Minnesota groundwater naturally has levels of manganese higher than the MDH guidance values. You may want to test your drinking water for manganese, especially if infants drink your tap water. You are responsible for keeping your well water safe and testing it as needed. If you are on a public water system Public water systems may test their water for manganese, but they are not required to. You can contact your public water system to find out if they test the water for manganese. If your public water system does not test for manganese, you can arrange and pay for an accredited laboratory to test your water. Remember that certain types of home water treatment units may make the level of manganese lower in your tap water than what your water system detected. Background Information Manganese occurs naturally in rocks and soil and can be found in water, food, and air. Your body needs some manganese to stay healthy. The recommended daily intake for manganese depends on a person's age and sex. The recommended manganese intake for children over eight years old and adults varies from 1,900 to 2,600 µg per day. Infants should consume 600 µg or less of manganese per day. 1