Absorption of Dangerous Minerals through Well Water?

I have moved into a house that is on a well.  The water was tested and showed high iron content before I moved in.  A filter and water softener were installed.  The water then tested as satisfactory, though it stinks like rotten eggs.  Sulphur?  But my concern is this.  I have a silver or silver-plated necklace that suddenly turned copper within a week.  At first I was perplexed, until I realized that I leave the necklace on when I shower.  What chemical could cause that?  Does that mean I could be absorbing chemicals and/or minerals that are dangerous to my liver through showering, washing my face, etc.?  We only drink the water filtered through a Brita filter and it tastes fine, but we wash our dishes in it, etc.  I'm a Grade 2, Stage 3, bridging fibrosis, failed three treatment regimens, 1b, viral load 2.8 million.  Thanks.

[mremeet]

Did you always wear the necklace in the shower prior to this? If so are you sure that it "suddenly" turned copper? And have you had the water's pH level checked? Acid water is pretty common, especially for well water. The sulfur you're smelling is probably combining with the water molecules and producing dilute sulfuric acid (H2SO4). I grew up in a house that had strongly acidic well water. It would turn all the chrome spigots and fixtures green (the green is oxidized copper under the chrome). We actually installed a neutralizer that injected small amounts of sodium hydroxide (or lye, a strongly alkaline substance) into the water to raise the pH to 7 (neutral). If it is acidic that might be enough to oxidize the very thin layer of silver that's on (or was on) your necklace. The copper is used to make the silver stick to the necklace's surface by the way, the next step will be for the copper to start turning green. As far as what the water might do to your liver, not sure about that, although I doubt it's harmful as long as it's been tested and you're using a brita filter. I live in a place with well water that also has a slight sulfur smell and I use a brita filter (have had an F1 liver for many years). Brita filters have an ion exchange resin that removes heavy metals, which should also help decrease iron levels in the water. Sounds like you've done all the right stuff, try and relax about it.

[ladywhy]

I use a 3-stage filter by Pure and it attaches to faucet. That's what my animals and I drink. It tastes great anyway. The water  where I'm living is county...and since I have been here, I have noticed a strong smell of what some tell me is chlorine...I think it smells/taste like pesticides or some other chemical.

[ChrisDDD]

Thank you both.  I am sure it suddenly turned, because I've been wearing that necklace for years and it's always been fine.  We moved to this house November 1st and weren't able to start taking showers in it until a couple of weeks ago because the hot water wasn't working.  It took only two or three showers before the necklace was ruined.  At least it's not a particularly valuable or meaningful piece of jewelry.  I also worry about the water because I've started having stomach aches constantly as soon as the water was declared "safe to drink", and worry that the stomach aches are because my liver is getting worse.

[ChrisDDD]

P.S.  I just read that and it sounds like I didn't shower from November 1st to late December.  Yuck!  We were showering at my father-in-law's apartment across the street until the water was "safe" here in this house.

[alagirl]

umm.... how to put this politely.  Frequently, metals that are not solid in their construction, but are plated instead, are prone to losing their first layer when subjected to water, soaps, etc.  Even solid sterling silver tarnishes over time with age, when exposed to certain elements, etc.  The best way to test for chemicals in well water is to have someone qualified come out and test for heavy metals and chemicals in well water.  (And then of course, jewelry is never really made with solid gold or silver, they are too soft.  That's why sterling silver is considered a silver content of 925, 14k gold, a gold content of - I think - 585 in gold.)  You can see how confusing all of this is, much better to just test the water so you can stop worrying, or get it fixed with approrpriate filters or whatever it is one does when the well just isn't... you know, well.

Also, you can request your own heavy metals test via blood, hair, and other methods, for exposure to heavy metals.  I believe hair is your best way to get a good result with a good timeline on this type of test.  If heavy metals show up, a hair test can show you better when the exposure was so it might help you see (if anything were to show up) whether your exposure was before you moved there, before you put the filter on the well, after the filter was on the well, etc.  That could be really helpful when trying to determine your next step if a problem does show up.

[orphanedhawk]

Yes,that rotten egg smell is sulpher. I live in a county where some areas have a high iron content in the water. It tends to turn toilets, sinks,etc a reddish rust color.
I don't know of ant filters that remove it but if it were me, I'd be looking for one.
My heptologist said high iron ALONE can cause cirrhosis. My advice: get your drinking water from another source.

[ChrisDDD]

All good points.  Thank you.  I had purchased the necklace for myself and it's no big deal that it's ruined, as it wasn't particularly expensive or meaningful.  My concern was that if showering in that water could do what it did to my necklace, what is it doing to my liver?  You know, those of us with this virus always wonder what nasty little things it's doing to us and view many problems and experiences as connected to or caused by or worsening our disease.  This is as interesting to me as a post a few months ago questioning whether we should change our toothbrush each day while on treatment, in case, unbeknownst to us, we had cleared on one particular day and became reinfected due to using the same toothbrush we used the day before when we weren't clear.  I actually asked my hepatologist about it, and he felt changing toothbrushes wasn't necessary.

[ChrisDDD]

P.S.  When I said "as interesting to me", I meant that sincerely.  Many interesting issues come up on this board.  We're all so smart!  Happy New Year to everybody.

[Aim1]

I have been using the Aquasana brand water filter for my drinking water.  I have the under the sink filter and feel much better using this setup to produce drinking water.  Now you have me convinced to purchase the shower attachment. I'm not trying to make a sales pitch, but I did a litle research, and I'm happy with the system.