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 is the first element in the seventh column of the periodic table. It is classified as a transition metal. Manganese atoms have 25 electrons and 25 protons with 30 neutrons in the most abundant isotope.

25 protons

Manganese is a trace mineral. It is vital for the human body, but people only need it in small amounts. Manganese contributes to many bodily functions, including the metabolism of amino acids, cholesterol, glucose, and carbohydrates. It also plays a role in bone formation, blood clotting, and reducing inflammation.

Manganese is a trace mineral that is present in tiny amounts in the body. It is found mostly in bones, the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Manganese helps the body form connective tissue, bones, blood clotting factors, and sex hormones.

Exposure to high levels of manganese can cause harm to the nervous system. A disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease called Manganism can result. Tremors, shaking, and an unsteady gait are characteristic of very high exposure to manganese.

Oxidized forms of manganese usually remain dissolved in water, giving it a black tint. These abrupt changes in the chemical forms of iron and manganese are responsible for the staining properties of aquifer waters containing high concentrations of these elements.

In the case of a manganese greensand filter, the filter media is treated with potassium permanganate to form a coating that oxidizes the dissolved iron and manganese and then filters them out of the water.

Iron-rich foods or supplements have been shown to lower your absorption of manganese. Phosphorus and calcium may also decrease your retention of manganese, but at a lower amount compared with iron.

Manganese leaching was also observed beyond their rated capacity, making them less robust treatments. The activated carbon block filters and other proprietary technologies were found to be inappropriate for dissolved manganese removal.

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.

Manganese can make your water smell like oil or asphalt. In case your water smells like cucumber or sewage, it is usually due to iron and/or sulfur bacteria.

Most drinking water has traces of dissolved iron and manganese. When these minerals come into contact with oxygen (from water or air), they oxidize. The black slime that accumulates on spouts is bacteria that feed on oxidized iron and manganese in the water.

If the smell is coming from faucets in just one area of the home, this is possible; hydrogen sulfide gas can rise and find least point of resistance, sometimes, only one faucet.

Disinfectants are the most common chemicals used to treat for iron bacteria. The most common disinfectant is household laundry bleach, which contains chlorine. Acids can dissolve iron deposits, destroy bacteria, and loosen bacterial slime.

Chlorination disinfects your well by destroying unhealthy bacteria and microorganisms and removing dissolved iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide. It can be managed easily at home with common household bleach and food grade white vinegar.

Techniques to remove or reduce iron bacteria include physical removal, pasteurization (injecting steam or hot water into the well and maintaining a water temperature of 140°F/60°C for 30 minutes), and chemical treatment—most commonly well disinfection with chlorine, including shock (super) chlorination.

every three days