The Health Risks of Lead & How to Remove It From Drinking Water

Up to date: March 4th, 2024

Few issues are extra satisfying than a tall glass of water after an extended exercise or a scorching day. You fill it up at your faucet and gulp down with out contemplating what contaminants you may be ingesting. And why must you? The Environmental Safety Company (EPA) regulates public water methods and units “secure” limits for particular pollution in water. And though you’ve most likely heard numerous headlines about lead in ingesting water, there’s no manner such a toxic steel could possibly be in your valuable water provide. Proper?

Sadly, that’s not at all times the case. The Pure Assets Protection Council (NRDC) discovered that between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, over 18,000 neighborhood water methods serving greater than 186 million Individuals had some water samples with lead ranges over one half per billion. So, if a public utility provides your ingesting water, it doubtless incorporates lead – much more so in case your water comes from a non-public nicely.

Lead is poisonous to people, animals, and different life varieties, and according to scientists, there’s no secure stage of publicity to the steel. Which means even low concentrations could cause irreparable well being issues and dying. Youngsters, particularly fetuses and infants, are essentially the most weak, however all of us ought to strive our greatest to cut back our danger of publicity to this dangerous neurotoxin.

Let’s begin by taking a look at how lead will get into water provides, the doable well being results of lead publicity in adults and kids, and the right way to take away it from ingesting water.

How Does Lead Get into Faucet Water?

Even when your water is lead-free on the supply, it may be contaminated because it travels to your faucet. However how is that this doable?

When lead family plumbing and municipal service strains corrode

According to the CDC, “Sure pipes that carry ingesting water from the water supply to the house might include lead. Family plumbing fixtures, welding solder, and pipe fittings made earlier than 1986 may include lead.”

When water passes by means of lead plumbing supplies in your house’s water supply system, a chemical response happens, dissolving or sporting away pipes, solder joints, brass alloy taps, and different plumbing fixtures. The corrosion causes lead particles to leach from the plumbing supplies and dissolve into the water because the water sits within the pipes or travels alongside them to your taps. And except you have got a system that filters lead out of your water provide, you danger ingesting the steel, assuming you drink faucet water at house or use it to arrange meals and drinks.

However even when your own home’s piping system is lead-free, there’s a risk that your water can choose up lead by means of municipal pipelines because it travels to your own home. Whereas many cities and states have executed a wonderful job of making certain public pipe networks, which ship water to giant geographic areas, are actually lead-free, millions of lead service lines nonetheless join properties to water mains. When these pipes are uncovered to water with excessive acidity or low mineral content material, or the water sits too lengthy inside them, it might corrode the pipes, leaching lead from them and contaminating the water flowing to your faucet.

The quantity of lead that leaches into the water will depend on the next:

• the water temperature,
• the quantity of wear and tear within the pipes,
• how lengthy the water stays within the water strains,
• the acidity or alkalinity of the water,
• the kinds and quantities of minerals within the water,
• the quantity of lead that water comes into contact with, and
• the presence of protecting scales or coatings within the pipes.

When industrial exercise leaks lead into your nicely water

Not solely can lead enter ingesting water from parts of the nicely system and the house’s plumbing, however industrial actions like mining and coal burning can leak the steel into nicely water.

Lead in excavated rock or underground mines can are available in contact with water saved in aquifers that offer water to wells. Water discharges from mining areas may leach lead and carry it towards water wells throughout flooding or heavy rainfall. If the nicely is constructed poorly or maintained inappropriately, it might permit the contaminant to enter the nicely system and contaminate the water.

How A lot Lead is Secure in Consuming Water?

The Secure Consuming Water Act (SDWA) requires the EPA to ascertain contaminant ranges in ingesting water at which no opposed well being results are more likely to happen, with an enough margin of security. These non-enforceable well being targets, primarily based solely on doable well being dangers, are known as most contaminant stage targets (MCLGs).

Whereas the EPA mandates public water methods to exchange 3% of their lead service strains every year if lead concentrations exceed 15 elements per billion (ppb), the company has set a public well being objective for lead in ingesting water at zero – and rightfully so.

Lead isn’t solely dangerous to well being at low ranges but in addition can accumulate in the body over time, permitting low-level publicity to result in high-level well being considerations. So, decreasing your publicity is essential!

The SDWA considers a plumbing fixture “lead-free” if it has lower than a 0.25 p.c weighted common of lead throughout its floor. Nevertheless, “lead-free” doesn’t at all times imply zero lead. Small quantities of the steel can nonetheless leach into ingesting water.

Is Lead in Consuming Water Harmful?

The truth that there’s no secure stage of publicity to guide ought to let you know how harmful it’s. Lead in ingesting water may be very poisonous to people. Nevertheless, youngsters are particularly weak to the unfavorable results of lead poisoning. That’s as a result of it takes little or no lead publicity to have an effect on a baby in contrast with an grownup. Furthermore, their rising our bodies take in 4-5 instances extra of the steel than adults, and their brains and nervous methods are extra vulnerable to the steel’s damaging results. It’s heartbreaking certainly, particularly since youngsters are uncovered to excessive ranges of lead by means of their water provide in roughly 4 million properties throughout the US.

Whereas adults can usually tolerate greater ranges of lead publicity than youngsters, they don’t seem to be proof against its dangerous results. Pregnant ladies and their unborn infants are much more in danger, as lead publicity could cause numerous well being issues. Moreover, the signs of lead poisoning don’t often seem till harmful quantities have accrued.

Lead Poisoning Signs in Newborns and Younger Youngsters

Younger youngsters are most weak to the well being results of lead as a result of their rising our bodies take in 4-5 instances extra of the steel than adults do, and their brains and nervous methods are extra vulnerable to its damaging results. Furthermore, youngsters are extra interested by their environment, and their age-appropriate hand-to-mouth habits could cause them to swallow lead-containing or lead-coating objects, akin to mud from lead-containing paint or soil.

Adults may be uncovered to guide just by consuming meals or water that incorporates the steel. There may be additionally the chance of office publicity in fields which will require them to come back involved with lead, together with manufacturing, development, strong waste, and others.

As soon as lead enters the physique, it’s transported to important areas, such because the mind, livers, kidneys, and bones. The physique shops the lead within the enamel and bones the place it stays and accumulates over time. The lead saved within the bone might ultimately transfer into the blood throughout being pregnant, thus exposing the fetus.

Infants uncovered to guide earlier than start may:

• Be born prematurely
• Have decrease start weight
• Have slowed progress

Younger youngsters might undergo from the next:

• Anemia
• Decrease IQ
• Impaired listening to
• Studying disabilities
• Consideration Deficit Dysfunction (ADD)
• Injury to the mind and nervous system
• Delayed psychological and bodily improvement

When youngsters are uncovered to guide, it may trigger behavioral modifications, akin to lowered consideration span and elevated delinquent habits. Different widespread signs embody consideration issues, decrease IQ, listening to loss, studying disabilities, and cognitive dysfunction. Lead poisoning may have an effect on bodily progress (decreased bone and muscle progress), and may trigger anemia, renal impairment, hypertension, and injury to the liver, kidneys, and reproductive organs. In uncommon instances, ingesting lead could cause seizures, coma, and even dying.

Sadly, it doesn’t finish there. Some youngsters might have signs like complications, lack of urge for food, weight reduction, excessive tiredness, constipation, nausea and vomiting, and muscle and joint weak point.

Research have instructed that youngsters who don’t present apparent signs might expertise the results of lead in a while in life. Nevertheless, it could be tough to differentiate between the results of early lead publicity and different correlating elements like poverty.

Notice: The chance of those signs could also be greater for infants who drink formulation ready with lead-contaminated water due to the massive quantity of water they eat relative to their physique dimension.

Be taught extra: When Can Babies Start Drinking Water? (Plus, the Best Water for Baby Formula)

Lead Poisoning Signs in Adults and Pregnant Ladies

Adults are additionally weak to the damaging results of lead. The indicators and signs of lead publicity in adults might embody stomach ache, anemia, raised blood strain, constipation, and temper issues. Additionally included are the discount of sperm quantity and high quality, reminiscence loss and decline in psychological features, issue sleeping, ache and numbness, complications and hallucinations, and others. Some adults might develop low fertility, gout, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Constantly ingesting small quantities of lead might be harmful, as lead is alleged to be a bio accumulate. Which means, like calcium, it builds up and shops within the physique over time. If a lady doesn’t eat sufficient calcium, the lead is launched from the bones as maternal calcium and helps to kind the bones of the fetus.

In keeping with the EPA, “Lead may cross the placental barrier exposing the fetus to guide. This can lead to critical results on the mom and her growing fetus.” Proof exhibits that elevated ranges of lead in pregnant ladies have been linked to a number of opposed well being results, akin to infertility, lack of ability to supply wholesome youngsters, low start weight, spontaneous abortion, gestational hypertension, and impaired neuro improvement.

• Kidney injury
• Reproductive issues
• Cardiovascular issues
• Joint and muscle ache
• Headache
• Stomach ache
• Temper issues
• Elevated danger of hypertension
• Decreased sperm rely and irregular sperm
• Difficulties with reminiscence or focus

Pregnant ladies might expertise signs akin to:

• Stillbirth
• Infertility
• Untimely start
• Low start weight
• Spontaneous abortion
• Gestational hypertension
• Impaired neurodevelopment
• Incapacity to supply wholesome youngsters

Be taught extra: The Dangers of Drinking Contaminated Water During Pregnancy

How Do I Know If There’s Lead in My Consuming Water?

There are a number of methods to cut back the chance of lead publicity from ingesting water in your house. However first, it is advisable to study extra concerning the water coming into your own home. Is it secure to drink? Does it include lead? You can not see, style, or scent lead in ingesting water, however there are a number of methods you’ll be able to decide in case your water provide incorporates the steel:

• Name your municipal water provider. Municipal water suppliers should usually check public water provides and make the findings out there. So, ask for a replica of their most up-to-date Water High quality Report (also referred to as a Client Confidence Report), which lists ranges of contaminants discovered throughout checks, which federal legislation requires to be run usually. Many public suppliers publish yearly experiences on-line, so you can too discover them by typing your ZIP code into the EPA’s web site. You’ll wish to see lead ranges beneath the EPA’s motion stage of 15 ppb. (In case your water comes from a non-public nicely, search for data from epa.gov/privatewells.)

Be taught extra: How to Read Your Water Quality Report

• Take a look at your water. Since a municipal water high quality report wouldn’t reveal if the lead is getting into your water by means of your own home’s plumbing, the one manner to make sure you probably have it in your faucet water is to have it examined. Residence lead check kits are usually straightforward to make use of and contain inserting a check strip in a pattern of your water. Sadly, most will solely let you know in case your water checks optimistic or damaging for lead, however not how a lot lead your water incorporates. To obtain an correct studying of precisely how a lot lead is in your water, the EPA recommends enlisting a state-certified laboratory to conduct a check.

Be taught extra: 10 Common Problems a Water Test Can Detect in Tap Water

Getting the Lead Out: Easy methods to Take away Lead from Your Consuming Water

Should you uncover that your ingesting water incorporates lead, we strongly advise that you simply act instantly to take away it. One of the best ways to take away lead out of your water provide or cut back its focus is to filter the water. Water filtration systems can present a helpful protection in opposition to lead and offer you peace of thoughts, however you need to choose the proper one on your wants.

Reverse Osmosis

A reverse osmosis (RO) water filter makes use of intense strain to pressure contaminated water by means of a semipermeable membrane. This membrane consists of tiny pores that block contaminants, akin to lead, however permits clear water to move to the opposite aspect. It really works like a display screen door permitting air to cross by means of and enter a house whereas blocking bugs, leaves, and different objects bigger than the holes within the display screen door.

Be taught extra: Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Explained

Carbon Filtration (when licensed for lead discount/elimination)

Carbon filters deal with water by utilizing a course of known as adsorption. These filters include activated carbon that has an abundance of pores alongside its floor. As untreated water flows by means of the activated carbon media, the carbon captures the contaminants within the pores of its floor space and permits clear water to emerge.

It is very important word that not all carbon filters can filter lead. They’ll solely filter lead if licensed to take action, requiring carbon handled to cut back lead or mixed with one other filtration media designed and licensed to take away the steel. Search for the Nationwide Sanitation Basis (NSF) certification or the Water High quality Affiliation certification to make sure your filter has been examined and licensed.

Our Whole House Lead & Cyst Removal System is NSF/ANSI 53 licensed for lead elimination. Designed on the 0.5-micron nominal filtration stage, it makes use of a novel mixture of activated carbon filtration and particular binders to take away as much as 99.95% of soluble lead and particulate lead from water. Soluble lead is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. It’s often dissolved in ingesting water and must be chemically eliminated, whereas particulate lead is sort of a tiny grain of sand and requires bodily filtration. The filter additionally eliminates different heavy metals, PFOA/PFOS, chlorine, chloramine, and cysts.

Notice: Water filtration methods are designed as point-of-use (POU) or whole-house filters. Putting in a POU system at your faucet protects in opposition to lead from the municipal water provide and your own home’s plumbing. Nevertheless, a POE water filter solely removes the steel from the municipal water provide however nonetheless filters each drop of water getting into your family. Subsequently, your very best remedy possibility will likely be a query of whether or not your family plumbing incorporates lead-based supplies.

Checking for lead in your pipes and plumbing fixtures

You possibly can examine your pipes for lead by performing a scratch check. This check entails utilizing a coin or the flat fringe of a screwdriver to softly scratch by means of any corrosion that has constructed up on a pipe. The pipe is most certainly made from lead if the scratched space seems shiny and silver. Whereas this check is a superb strategy to get an thought if your own home’s water provide is liable to lead publicity, it’s at all times greatest to accumulate the assistance of a water knowledgeable or a licensed plumber to examine your pipes professionally.

Be taught extra: epa.gov/privatewells

Can You Bathe with Lead-Contaminated Water?

Sure. The human pores and skin doesn’t take in lead from water, so it needs to be secure for teenagers and adults to wash or bathe in lead-contaminated water. However please word that it’s doable to ingest marginal quantities of lead whereas showering or bathing. Additionally, keep in mind that lead isn’t the one contaminant in bathe water. Other toxic pollutants in water may irritate your hair and pores and skin. That is the place the Springwell Complete Home Lead & Cyst Removing System may turn out to be useful.

Remaining Ideas

Lead is a poisonous steel. It acts slowly and infrequently hides in open view. Because the signs of lead poisoning typically go undetected (no less than throughout short-term publicity), it’s essential to know its many dangers.

Should you dwell in a house constructed earlier than 1986 and are using older pipes and fixtures, you could wish to think about testing your water and filtering it to take away lead and different contaminants. That is particularly essential for pregnant ladies or if there are younger youngsters within the house. Youngsters are much more vulnerable to the dangerous results of lead than adults and are sometimes uncovered to greater quantities.

Checking your fixtures, akin to bathtubs, sinks, tile flooring, plumbing, and even the dishware you employ to serve meals, can assist you forestall publicity and make sure the security of you and your family members. Nevertheless, filtering your water is the best strategy to take away or cut back lead in ingesting water.

We would like you to really feel assured within the security of your ingesting water provide, so you probably have any questions or considerations concerning lead in water, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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