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.

This time we found a story about Milwaukee, a city that apparently has a problem with lead reaching its population via the public water supply.

Milwaukee is alarmed at the rate of occurrence of childhood lead poisoning in the city, and it is taking steps towards its possible elimination by next year.

Late last year, the city received two federal grants that came up to a total of $6.9 million to be used for programs aimed at the elimination of lead hazards as well as the increase of public awareness on the dangers of lead poisoning. The Health Department is encouraging citizens to have their children tested for the presence of lead three times before the age of three, and eligible properties can apply for assistance for lead removal.

Their concern is understandable. The North Side of Milwaukee has an average lead poisoning rate of 14.1%, which is nine times the national average. The entire city’s lead poisoning rate is 5.9%, still significantly higher than the national average – almost five times.

Aside from government-sponsored efforts, households can also actively participate in the prevention of lead poisoning in children. One easy and doable way of doing it is to ensure that water consumed in the home is lead-free.

Generally, water from reservoirs have been treated and are lead-free upon distribution, but it can still become contaminated through home service pipes and faucets. While water may not be the primary source of lead poisoning, it may contribute to an increase in lead levels in someone who already has lead exposure once ingested. Since water is a resource that households can easily control, it will be beneficial for homes to proactively ensure lead-free water intake.

There are a number of ways to ensure that the family consumes lead-free water. One way is to perform a simple task called “flushing” each morning – basically letting the tap run for about 15 to 30 seconds or until the water gets cold, to ensure that any stagnant water that may have reacted to the pipe as it sat there overnight and may contain lead is flushed out and not used.

Another way is to purchase devices such as reverse osmosis systems or distillation units. To be really safe, families can also choose to not use tap water for drinking and purchase distilled water from reliable water distributors separately. ( source )

So… What can the average person do to find out if they have a problem with lead in their drinking water? Quite simply, they could use a readily available lead in water test kit from WaterSafe, a leading manufacturer of home drinking water test kits.

In a matter of minutes a person can find out if their water contains more than 15ppb of lead, the maximum contaminant level recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Testing for exposure to lead?

A person may come into contact with lead in a number of ways. It can show up in the paint used in older buildings, at one point it existed in our gasoline, and, of course, we all know it can show up in our drinking water. With that information in mind, the question quickly becomes how do we find out if we have received too much exposure to lead?

In the past a person had to go and have blood drawn to determine if they had received exposure to lead. Now, however, test kits like LeadConfirm allow people to have their saliva tested and avoid needles.

We find that a very good thing… because we hate needles!

Testing for lead and other metals?

In our experience many other metals besides lead can find their way into the water supply and these days it makes little sense for homeowners not to periodically test their water… if only to err on the side of caution.

You can find more links to metal test kits in our Water Test Kit Store.