Lead in the American Water Supply
For decades, American parents have worried about exposing their children to lead paint. Families that live in older houses have learned to be careful about maintaining painted surfaces in their homes to reduce the ingestion of lead. And because most of us live in houses we regard as safely lead-free, we’ve been resting pretty easy.
But recent lead scares, such as the problem currently in the news relating to lead paint on toys manufactured in China, have brought lead to our attention again. And in our research into lead, we were reminded that the reality is not as rosy as we’d like. While it’s true that lead paint on our children’s toys is unacceptable and intolerable, it’s also true that many of us live in homes that are not as lead-free as we’d thought.
Lead is often found in older plumbing. Lead pipes and lead soldering were commonly used, and many of our houses still have these fixtures. As time goes on and the pipes begin to deteriorate, this means that lead is, little by little, seeping into the water that comes out of our faucets. We can’t see the lead; nor can it be tasted or smelled. But we know that lead is a threat.
Lead is toxic. It causes damage to the human nervous system, hearing loss, and can result in stunted growth, low IQ levels, and kidney damage. It has also been associated with reproductive problems. Obviously it is important for us to reduce our contact with lead to an absolutely minimal level – but how can this be achieved? We can try to control the matter of lead paint, but lead in water is much trickier.
Water must be tested to establish the presence or non-presence of lead. Tests can be done for little money, and if your house’s water shows significant lead levels, you will ideally want to install a whole-house water filtering system; at the very least, a system installed under your sink will assure you that drinking and cooking water are lead-free.
There are a few basic measures you can take to reduce your exposure to lead in your house’s water. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that, at the very least, you let your faucet run for two or three minutes before taking water to drink or cook with. This gives sitting water time to run through: water that’s been sitting on lead in the pipes will accumulate lead particles, and it’s safest to flush them from the system. Don’t ever drink hot water straight from the tap, because it can contain more lead than cold water: the heat lets lead dissolve more easily so it carries lead better. You cannot purify water of lead by boiling it. This will have the opposite of the desired effect: rather than getting rid of lead in your water, you’ll end up with a kind of concentrated lead soup.
Many people share an understandable concern about wasting water in the lead-flushing process. In the name of environmental awareness, we suggest that old bottles and jugs be used to hold that water so that it can be used for watering plants or dish rinsing or other purposes than drinking or cooking. There are many uses for this water, and it is not necessary to let it just go down the drain.
Many water filters, though very few pitcher-style filters, are designed specifically to reduce lead count in your water. For advice on reducing lead in your kitchen or whole-house water supply, please contact the knowledgeable staff at www.waterfilters.net. They will be happy to discuss the matter with you, establish your household’s needs, and work to solve your lead problem.
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