Is There Antimony in Portland, CT Water? (ZIP 06480)

What is Antimony?

Antimony is a metallic element that enters drinking water through discharge from petroleum refineries, fire retardant manufacturing, ceramics production, electronics, and solder. It also occurs naturally in some geological formations. The EPA maximum contaminant level is 6 parts per billion, while the California public health goal is 1 ppb. Chronic exposure at elevated levels may increase blood cholesterol and decrease blood sugar.

Antimony matters most for infants — a metal that infants are more sensitive to at a given level. The safe level for these groups is stricter than for a healthy adult.

• Install a point-of-use reverse osmosis system certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 for antimony reduction, which removes the majority of dissolved antimony from drinking water.

• Use an activated carbon block filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53; verify that antimony is specifically listed on the filter's performance data sheet.

• Distillation units can effectively reduce antimony concentrations since the metal does not volatilize at the boiling point of water.

• Test your water through a certified laboratory to establish baseline antimony levels and retest after treatment installation to confirm reduction.

How Portland compares

Across Connecticut, Antimony is detected in 53 of the communities we track, and is above a limit or standard in 10. In Portland (06480), it was found in every sample tested, above the EPA limit in 50% of samples.

Other contaminants of concern in Portland (06480)

See the full Portland water quality report →