Lead in Our Water?

Lead in water. Is this really a silent killer? Is this what was responsible for so many people’s deaths? Has it caused people to go insane? Could you be next? What is the government doing about it?

Lead is a type of heavy metal. It is found in many places around the world. Until the 1890’s it was used in paint, gasoline, and to line water pipes. Lead is an odorless, tasteless, invisible substance. This is a highly toxic metal.

Where might lead be found? Try to figure out which of these could contain lead:

“--your heirloom crystal carafe and wine glasses

--the brightly glazed ceramic plates you bought in Mexico

--a pewter bowl from the flea market

--a can of imported tomatoes

--dirt in your garden

--paint dust and chips from refinishing the woodwork

--foil wrapping at the top of a wine bottle

--artist’s oil paints you use on weekends

--tap water

--water pipes under the street

--your new kitchen faucet

The answer? Any and all of these may contain lead” ("News On Lead, The", Editor). As you can see, lead can be found almost anywhere and everywhere you look, although measures are starting to be taken to prevent against lead poisoning.

Lead in water is caused by lead piping systems. Pipes in older building’s tend to be lined with lead. This lead then leaches into the tap water of the house. Service lines, pipes, solder, and faucets may also be sources of contamination of drinking water.

Lead in drinking water is such a hazard because it can cause so many diseases, illnesses, or deformities. Lead has been known to cause mental retardation, stunted growth, congenital defects, such as mental or physical disabilities, hypertension, heart attacks, or strokes. It may also cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys, or bones. And above all, too much lead can kill. Children are especially susceptible due to being more exposed to lead in different materials such as paint.

The problems with lead, however, only begin when a person has ingested lead, or have gotten it into their system somehow. Many older homes may pose more of a risk than newer ones, considering that the older houses are more likely to have lead-lined plumbing, or lead-based paint. Places with soft water are also at a higher risk. Soft water is low in dissolved minerals and tends to have a higher lead level. This, in turn, usually leaches metal from pipes or the solder that joins copper piping.

Before the 1980’s is when troubles with lead in water were probably the worse. But in the mid-1980’s restrictions were starting to be put on how much lead could be used in things and where. Lead-based paint was outlawed, lead was beginning to be phased out of gasoline, and standards for safe amounts of lead levels were starting to be set. Around 1986 the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) specified that a safe level of lead in drinking water was 50 ppb (parts per billion.) Then in 1988 they dropped it to 20 ppb.

So what can be done about lead in drinking water? You could start by having your tap water tested to see if you even have to worry about lead. “If the first-draw sample is high in lead (over 15 ppb), the problem is in the pipes inside the house. If the purged-line sample is high in lead (over 5 ppb), the lead is coming from the service line outside” ("News On Lead, The", Editor). Then, if you do have a problem, you could switch to using bottled water. Try letting you water run for a few minutes before using it. Don’t use hot tap water for cooking. Starting with these guidelines should help make your tap water safer to use or drink.

The EPA now has set the standard limit to the amount of lead in water to 0.015 milligrams per liter of water. With the banning of lead-based paint and the phaseout of lead in gasoline has made where we each live just that much safer. The re-plumbing of older houses, and the use of leadless pipes in new ones, is also helping the problem.

If you feel you have a problem with lead in your drinking water, by all means, do something about it. Get it tested, then follow the guidelines and take precautionary measures against ingestion. Be sure to warn children of the dangers of such lead-contamination, and keep them away from things such as lead-based paint. Remember, even though this may seem shocking to know, there are things you can do about it!