Vanadium

Where It Comes From in New Mexico

In New Mexico, high levels of vanadium in drinking water come from both natural geology and human activities. First, it occurs naturally in the state's volcanic rocks and sandstone formations.³ Second, New Mexico's long legacy of uranium mining, particularly in the Four Corners region, the Navajo Nation, and the Grants Mineral Belt, has left behind waste rock that leaches vanadium and other heavy metals into the groundwater.³˒⁴ Lastly, industrial pollution, such as the burning of fossil fuels, releases vanadium into the air, which then settles into the soil and washes into water sources.¹˒³

Health Concerns

Drinking water with high levels of vanadium can cause immediate issues like nausea, mild diarrhea, and stomach cramps.¹ Over the long term, animal studies show that vanadium exposure can cause decreased red blood cells, which leads to anemia, and increased blood pressure.¹ The biggest concern, however, is for pregnant women and infants; chronic exposure to vanadium is linked to developmental issues, including decreased growth and birth defects in developing babies.¹˒³

How Climate Change Exacerbates Exposure Risks:

Wildfires and the methods used to fight them can dramatically increase vanadium in local water. During massive wildfires, such as the 2022 Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire in New Mexico, airplanes dropped millions of gallons of bright red fire retardants to stop the blaze.⁵ Recent studies discovered that these fire suppressants contain extremely high levels of toxic metals, including vanadium.⁶ When it rains, these metals wash directly into the soil and groundwater, causing a sudden spike in contamination in nearby private wells.⁵˒⁶

How to Mitigate Exposure Risks

If you get your water from a private well, it is your responsibility to ensure it is safe, as the government does not regulate private wells for water quality.³

• Look out for signs: Because vanadium is invisible and usually has no taste or smell, you cannot rely on your senses to know if it is there, though very high amounts might occasionally give the water a metallic taste.³˒⁹

• Test your water: Have your well water tested by a certified laboratory to check for vanadium and other heavy metals.⁷ Following the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire, the New Mexico Environment Department offered free well testing for heavy metals in the affected areas.⁷

• Never boil the water: Boiling water will not remove vanadium; it simply evaporates the water and leaves the metals behind, making them even more concentrated and dangerous.³˒⁷

• Filter your water: If your water has high vanadium levels, you can install specialized water treatment systems. Reverse osmosis systems and ion exchange filters are highly effective at removing vanadium and other heavy metals from your home's drinking water.³˒⁸˒⁹