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

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The main mining areas for manganese are in China, Africa, Australia and Gabon. The metal is obtained by reducing the oxide with sodium, magnesium or aluminium, or by the electrolysis of manganese sulfate. Manganese nodules have been found on the floor of the oceans.

There is evidence in animals and humans that adverse neurological effects can result from exposure to different manganese compounds; much of this information on toxicity differences between species of manganese is from reports and experiments of acute exposures to very high doses.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a health advisory for lifetime exposure to Manganese in drinking water of 0.3mg/L (300 ug/L). The EPA considers this level safe from potential neurological impacts over a lifetime.

Water that contains manganese is often coloured (e.g. purple, dark brown or blackish colour). It may stain laundry and fixtures. The only way to know if you have high levels of manganese is to test your water.

Elevated manganese concentrations can occur in municipal water as well as water from private wells. In general, manganese is more prevalent and found at higher concentrations in groundwater than surface water. Most exposure occurs from ingestion and not from bathing/showering.

Magnesium (Mg) and manganese (Mn) are essential plant nutrients. They are absorbed by plant roots as bivalent cations (Mg++ and Mn++). Deficiencies of both nutrients have been diagnosed in Michigan….

Manganese is a mineral that naturally occurs in rocks and soil and may also be present due to underground pollution sources. Manganese is seldom found alone in a water supply. Deposits collect in pipelines, and tap water may contain black sediment and turbidity due to precipitated manganese.

When combined levels of iron and manganese exceed 10 mg/L, the most effective treatment involves oxidation followed by filtration. In this process, a chemical is added to convert any dissolved iron and manganese into the solid, oxidized forms that can then be easily filtered from the water.

Common symptoms include:

• Abnormal eye movements (nystagmus)
• Convulsions.
• Fatigue.
• Muscle spasms or cramps.
• Muscle weakness.
• Numbness.

Magnesium supplementation can not only preserve liver function, but also slow the progression of liver disease, and reduce the mortality associated.

10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Magnesium

• Magnesium Is Involved in Hundreds of Biochemical Reactions in Your Body.
• It May Boost Exercise Performance.
• Magnesium Fights Depression.
• It Has Benefits Against Type 2 Diabetes.
• Magnesium Can Lower Blood Pressure.
• It Has Anti-Inflammatory Benefits.

Magnesium glycinate — Magnesium glycinate (magnesium bound with glycine, a non-essential amino acid) is one of the most bioavailable and absorbable forms of magnesium, and also the least likely to induce diarrhea. It is the safest option for correcting a long-term deficiency.

Magnesium taurate may be the best form for managing high blood sugar and high blood pressure, though more studies are necessary.

Magnesium Glycinate Glycine supplementation can improve the quality of sleep, making this form of magnesium a good choice for those with insomnia. Preliminary research shows that magnesium glycinate can elevate levels of magnesium in brain tissue.

While there are many forms of magnesium available, we often prefer to use magnesium citrate and/or magnesium glycinate. Magnesium citrate is most helpful for people suffering from constipation, while the glycinate form is more useful for conditions like anxiety, insomnia, chronic stress, and inflammatory conditions.