Due to the rapid rate at which children’s brains grow, overexposure to a heavy metal like lead may result in altered development which could, ultimately, result in stunted development of a child’s brain.

Doesn’t lead poisoning have obvious symptoms?

In a word, “NO!”

Only after prolonged exposure will the signs and symptoms of overexposure to lead (or any other heavy metal for that matter) manifest themselves and by that time possibly irreparable damage may have already occurred.

How do children get exposed to lead?

Sadly, it can occur in a number of ways including, but not limited to:

• Older homes (mostly built prior to the 1970’s) may contain paint on their walls or radiators that contains lead as an additive.

  What if we painted over the older paint? Dust from the old paint will still exist in the home and small children really seem to enjoy picking at things… like bumps on the walls, baseboards, etc.

  Small children then, as we all know, also have curiosity about the taste of strange or new things like paint chips — and will in a lot of cases attempt to eat them if not caught in the act. Additionally, even if a parent catches a child with paint chips and takes them away, we have heard that the dust from the lead-bearing paint chips will not get removed from a child’s hands without a good scrubbing/washing.
   

• In past years several public uproars have occurred because it came to light that toys intended for small children contained outlandish levels of lead. Those toys, if chewed on or sucked on — as small children will often do — had the potential to administer seriously detrimental levels of lead to small children a short period of time.
   
• We recently read that some imported vinyl miniblinds also, at some point, contained potentially harmful levels of lead that could rub off on a child’s hands… and possibly wind up getting ingested when a child then puts its hand or hands into its mouth.
   
• Older plumbing and water service lines may contain piping that has joints connected with lead-bearing solder which, studies have shown, may eventually leach some of it’s lead into the water supply.
   
• Lead occurs naturally in nature which it very well could show up in ground water (well water). While lead pollution from natural sources usually does not make the news all that often, it can still happen.
   
• Not all manufacturing and industrial facilities properly treat and/or dispose of their process water before releasing it back into the environment. In some cases, due to the expenses associated with removing certain contaminants (like heavy metals), facilities will knowingly violate Local, State and Federal laws pertaining to allowable discharge levels of environmental contaminants into lakes, streams and even public sewer systems.
   

OK, now that we have painted a somewhat bleak outlook for children’s safety when comes to avoiding overexposure to a heavy metal like lead, please allow us to give you two pieces of advise: 1) Make sure children — and adults, too! — wash their hands thoroughly before eating, drinking, handling food or putting their hands into the eyes, nose or mouth; 2) Have your drinking water tested for lead.

Compared to the daunting task of stopping a small child from doing ‘normal’ kid things, periodically testing or having your water supply tested for the presence of lead and/or other potentially unwanted drinking water contaminants is a proverbial walk in the park!

How can I test my water for lead?

Earlier in the article we posted a picture of the WaterSafe Lead in Water Test Kit… because it quickly lets home and business owners know if their water contains dissolved lead in concentrations of 15ppb (parts per billion) or greater.

Why 15ppb? Simple: The USEPA set the MCL (maximum contaminant level) for dissolved lead in drinking water at 15ppb. If during routine testing a public water system discovers that the dissolved lead concentration in its water has reached or exceeded 15ppb, they must immediately take action to bring that level down.

Will the WaterSafe Lead Test tell you a precise number for a water supply’s lead concentration? No, but you also must remember that the test does cost only $10 in most places — like our Water Test Kit Store.

How can I get a more precise lead test?

We suggest starting with a call to your local water and health departments to see if they have any free or discounted testing programs available. If not, then ask one or both departments for a list of certified water testing laboratories in the area.

And finally, if both those efforts fail, we know for sure that National Testing Laboratories offers a number of comprehensive mail-in water testing services that include testing for lead in water and get performed by certified and accredited water testing facilities.

Sounds like it would make sense that treated, filtered water dispensed (sold) by a municipality or privatized water company would not contain potentially harmful levels of dissolved metals… but in reality they only have to make certain water they produce does not contain dissolved metals at the point where it leaves their facilities.

Between those facilities and the faucets of households on water systems lie vast networks of metal piping that can very easily leach small amounts of metals into the water supply… or worse, yet, leach potentially harmful amounts of lead, copper, iron, etc. into the water supply.

Oh, and if you live in a building or home built before the advent of builders using plastic (i.e. PVC) piping, well, that means you have metal plumbing in your home which could, in many cases, result in your water containing elevated levels of metals — especially if you also if you have problems with corrosive water and/or have water sitting in your lines for long periods of time (i.e. in the plumbing of vacation homes or lines connected to faucets/showers/etc. that do not get used on a regular basis).

Reducing and removing metals from drinking water?

Not all water filters will remove or reduce dissolved metals in water as efficiently and some water filters, despite the claims on their packaging, don’t really do a good job of removing metals at all.

As a general rule, one should NOT rely on faucet filters, shower filters, or other small point-of-use devices to keep them safe from water metals.

For the average homeowner we suggest looking at reverse osmosis water filters since they offer excellent filtration on their own for unwanted drinking water contaminants like metal ions & aqueous salts including sodium, chloride, copper, chromium, and lead. Additionally, reverse osmosis units typically also reduce arsenic, fluoride, radium, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, nitrate, and phosphorous levels in drinking water.

For industrial applications — or residential homeowners with a truly healthy budget — distillation systems also work well when it comes to removing and/or reducing metals from drinking water… but at this time we have no links to companies who supply distillation units. Perhaps one of our readers could help us out with this topic? 🙂

We said it before and we will say it again: Ultimate responsibility for the quality of the water you drink rests with YOU.

Far too often we trust that the water entering our homes contains no harmful contaminants because our water treatment plant ‘has one of the best reputations in the business’ or has ‘never had a violation or failed an inspection’. We forget our local water treatment plant’s crystal clear, safe travels through many miles of different types and sorts of pipes before it reaches our faucets.

At any point in that journey a tiny crack in any one of the pipes could allow potentially harmful contaminants to enter the water stream… and travel to our faucets. A multitude of coliform bacteria can work their way through openings far smaller than half of a millimeter in size with the greatest of ease.

Oh, and at one point in time or another, health officials deemed materials like lead safe for use in drinking water pipelines.

Most people take for granted every day that the water from kitchen taps and the vegetables from home gardens or stores will be clean and safe.

But if sewer pipes lying beneath local streets and yards are damaged or broken, there’s potential for serious problems, say health, environmental and utility officials.

Because pipes carrying fresh, clean water often lie in the same ditches, tunnels and infrastructure rights of way as sewer lines, there is tremendous potential for drinking water or irrigation water to be contaminated.

“Your water can be contaminated right out in the street in front of you,” said Dr. Mark LeChevallier, director of innovation and environment stewardship for American Water Co., the parent company of Tennessee-American Water Co., which serves Chattanooga.

Dr. Rand Carpenter, an epidemiologist and waterborne illness specialist with the Tennessee Department of Heath, says once that contamination is there, all it takes is contact and an unwashed hand.

Sewage contains pathogens, bacteria and viruses, he said, and if people touch something bearing those germs, they can get sick.

“These are big concerns to us in the health department,” he said.

Emerging strains of E. coli have proven very dangerous, especially to the young, the elderly or people whose immune systems are deficient.

Even a norovirus, “what we grew up calling the 24-hour virus,” can be a culprit of contamination that began with sewage, Dr. Carpenter said. ( source )

Periodic testing of tap water for simple things like heavy metals (i.e. lead, copper, mercury, etc.) and bacteria helps ensure the safety of everyone in your home.