Salem County NJ - Comprehensive Water Test

This is a special water test designed for private wells in Salem County, NJ. It includes the most common contaminants that affect wells in the area: gross alpha, manganese, and iron, plus chemicals like PFAS and volatile organic compounds.

Protect your Family. Find Out What's in Your Water.

Our water testing is as easy as 1, 2, 3...

1. We send you the water sample bottles.
2. You fill the bottles and ship them back with our pre-paid shipping.
3. In two weeks we email you personalized easy to understand results directly from Dr. Spayd with an explanation of any problems detected.

Water testing cannot be easier.

If you already have a water filter, test the treated water to be sure the filter is working.

This test includes a long list of elements and compounds that commonly affect wells. Many of these problem elements are a result of the geology that the well has been drilled into. It also tests for man-made chemicals, like PFAS and Volatile Organic Compounds, as well as lead, copper, and zinc, which can be leached into your water from the plumbing due to low pH (acidic) water. I recommend using this comprehensive test once every five years. Gross alpha, iron, pH, and manganese water treatment are common in Salem County.  In some areas of Salem County, 50% of the wells have failed for Gross Alpha due to radium in the water. The highest risk is in Pittsgrove Township (40%), Upper Pittsgrove Township (27%), Oldmans Township (23%), and Alloway Township (12%).

PFAS chemicals are being detected above standards at alarming percentage rates in New Jersey. In Salem County, at least one PFAS chemical has been found above standards in private wells at high percentage rates in Carneys Point Township (31%), Elsinboro Township (21%), Oldmans Township (21%), and Mannington Township (10%). 

This test includes everything in the NJ Private Well Testing Act plus additional elements, compounds, hardness, etc. Don't wait until you're selling to test your water - find out what you are drinking now. Please note that this test cannot be used for the sale of your home with a well because you will be collecting the sample rather than the lab technician. 

Elements
Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Calcium, Chloride, Chromium (Total), Copper, Fluoride, Iron, Lead, Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Phosphate (ortho), Selenium, Silver, Sodium, Thallium, Uranium, and Zinc.

Perfluorinated Compounds (PFAS)

• PFUnA (Perfluoroundecanoic acid)
• NEtFOSAA (N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid)
• NMeFOSAA (N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid)
• PFBS (Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid)
• PFDA (Perfluorodecanoic acid)
• PFDoA (Perfluorododecanoic acid)
• PFHpA (Perfluoroheptanoic acid)
• PFHxS (Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid)
• PFHxA (Perfluorohexanoic acid)
• PFNA (Perfluorononanoic acid)
• PFOS (Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid)
• PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid)
• PFTA (Perfluorotetradecanoic acid)
• PFTrDA (Perfluorotridecanoic acid)
• PFUnA (Perfluoroundecanoic acid)
• 11Cl-PF3OUdS (11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid)
• 9Cl-PF3ONS (9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid)
• ADONA (4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid)
• GenX, Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid HFPO-DA

Volatile Organic Compounds

• Benzene
• Carbon Tetrachloride
• Chlorobenzene
• Dichlorobenzene (1,2-)
• Dichlorobenzene (1,3-)
• Dichlorobenzene (1,4-)
• Dichloroethane (1,1-) 
• Dichloroethane (1,2-)
• Dichloroethene (1,1-)
• Dichloroethene (cis 1,2-)
• Dichloroethene (trans 1,2-)
• Dichloropropane
• Ethylbenzene
• Methylene Chloride
• Methyl tertiary-butyl ether
• Naphthalene
• Styrene
• Tetrachloroethane (1,1,2,2-)
• Tetrachloroethene
• Toluene, 
• Trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-)
• Trichloroethane (1,1,1-)
• Trichloroethane (1,1,2-)
• Trichloroethene
• Vinyl Chloride
• Xylenes (total)

Synthetic Organic Compounds: Dibromo-3-Chloropropane (1,2-), Ethylene Dibromide,
and Trichloropropane (1,2,3-). 

Radioactivity
Gross Alpha and Radon in Water

Bacteria
Total Coliform. E. Coli

Other Parameters
Alkalinity, Conductivity, Hardness, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Phosphate (ortho), Sulfate, Total Dissolved Solids, and Turbidity.

This water test package, will be shipped to you by mail or UPS. It will include all required materials to properly collect and submit your water sample for certified laboratory testing.

Examples - Why test your water for these common contaminants?

Arsenic is naturally occurring in many of the bedrock formations in New Jersey and is commonly found in well water. It is known that people who drink water containing elevated levels of arsenic have an increased risk of a wide variety of adverse health effects including bladder, lung, liver, kidney, skin, and prostate cancers. Chronic exposure to high levels of arsenic is also associated with a range of serious health problems including skin lesions, cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, and diabetes. Studies have also shown that arsenic as low as 5 micrograms per liter (mcg/L) in drinking water has an association with negative effects on children’s intelligence. Learn more about arsenic from this video: Arsenic in Well Water.

Gross alpha is a measure of radioactivity from elements such as radium and uranium. These elements are naturally occurring in many New Jersey geologic formations and aquifers. Gross alpha is the most common contaminant to exceed its standard in New Jersey private wells. People who drink water containing radioactive elements above the standard have an increased risk of adverse health effects as all radioactive elements are considered carcinogenic (NJDEP) (Private Well Conference).

Manganese can be a neurotoxin in cases of chronic overexposure and can cause neurological disorders of which the most striking is Parkinson's syndrome. Studies in children have suggested that extremely high levels of manganese exposure may produce undesirable effects on brain development, including changes in behavior and decreases in the ability to learn and remember. In some cases, these same manganese exposure levels have been suspected of causing severe symptoms of manganism disease (including difficulty with speech and walking). We do not know for certain that these changes were caused by manganese alone. We do not know if these changes are temporary or permanent. We do not know whether children are more sensitive than adults to the effects of manganese, but there is some indication from experiments in laboratory animals that they may be. (EPA)

Iron is mostly an aesthetic problem for staining fixtures orange.

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. Lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time. Young children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells. Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems, and anemia (EPA).

PFAS compounds, also known as "Forever Chemicals" are being detected almost everywhere and are bioaccumulating in human body tissues. The stability and persistence of these compounds makes them a lifetime concern as even extremely low levels have been shown to have negative health effects in humans and can bioaccumulate over time. The US EPA has proposed standards for several PFAS chemicals (EPA PFAS).

Uranium: Exposure to radionuclides from drinking water results in the increased risk of cancer. The radioactive particles (alpha, beta and gamma particles) emitted by radionuclides are called "ionizing radiation" because they ionize ("destabilize") nearby atoms as they travel through a cell or other material. In living tissue, this ionization process can damage chromosomes or other parts of the cell. This cellular damage can lead to the death of the cell or to unnatural reproduction of the cell. When a cell reproduces uncontrollably, it becomes a cancer. Certain elements accumulate in specific organs: radium (like calcium) accumulates in the bones. For uranium, we must consider not only the carcinogenic health effects from its radioactive decay and the decay of its daughter products ("radiotoxicity"), but also damage to the kidneys from exposure to the uranium itself ("chemical toxicity"). Exposure to elevated uranium levels in drinking water has been shown to lead to changes in kidney function that are indicators of potential future kidney failure (EPA).

Volatile Organic Compounds: Industrial solvents and petroleum based compounds discharged by industry and leaking underground tanks. Many are carcinogenic.

Radon in Water: While radon in home air is a commonly known problem, radon is also very soluble in water, and well water is highly vulnerable. Radon is a known carcinogen with a particular impact on the stomach from ingestion and the lungs from inhalation. Radon escapes from your water into the house air, especially from showering, dishwashers, and washing machines.