Lead is second only to chlorine in being the most common contaminant in our drinking water.
Are there consequences to having lead at any level in drinking water?
All the research done points to yes...that lead even in the most minimal amounts can be harmful to the human body to some degree...and most especially to children.
Lead is picked up in the drinking water on its path from the water treatment plants .. after it has been treated .... to the household tap. The water travels through lead lined pipes with lead solder in homes. It also goes through brass plumbing with brass fittings.. and all brass fittings and plumbing fixtures are made up of 8% to 15% lead. As the water passes through these pipes and fittings... the lead is leached into the water.
Children are the ones most apt to be seriously affected by any levels of lead in the water they drink... no matter how low. Lead poisoning can cause a reduced IQ, learning disabilities and behavior problems such as a shortened attention span along with hypertension..and often these problems are lifelong.
Adults are not free from consequences of lead in drinking water either. It can account for high blood pressure , a reduction in the production of hemoglobin which is the part of the blood that carries oxygen through the body, and an interference in the nervous system causing the signals that the brain sends out to the body to become distorted resulting in a chain of reactions which result in bad health.
Every household with indoor plumbing has some level of lead in its tap water resulting in water that may indeed represent a risk to the health of those drinking it.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set 0.0 ppb (parts per billion) as the safe level of lead in drinking water.
There really is no reason anyone should suffer from lead contamination from drinking water. It can be easily prevented by using a filter system of some type at the point-of-use of our drinking water. If everyone did this it would eliminate almost every effect of lead on everyone.
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