With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
We’ve all heard reports in the last few years about lead contamination in drinking water supplies causing a number of serious health problems. Up until relatively recently, lead was used in the manufacturing of plumbing pipes and lead solder was used to make solid plumbing joins. But lead is no longer used in this way because it’s extremely harmful to health as water passing through lead pipes will take on these negative characteristics. In this article, we will examine why lead is so dangerous, how it gets into water supplies and how you can get rid of it for good.
What Are the Properties of Lead?
Lead is a naturally occurring metal that can be found in rock, soil, dust, food, and even our water supplies. Lead is extremely toxic, and it was widely used as a plumbing material until the mid-80s when the problem was recognized. Over the intervening decades, lead has been phased out of use, and many lead plumbing pipes have been removed and replaced with pipes made from safer materials. Despite these efforts, there are lead pipes still in general use, and plumbing joints made from lead solder can still be found in use. Also, lead from other products, especially chips of old lead paint can be washed away and end up in our waterways. Every province and territory must comply with the National Plumbing Code for their regulations but the times when lead ceased to be used varied a great deal depending on where you live.
How Does Lead Get in Water Supplies?
As we mentioned above, lead is naturally occurring, and it may still be present in plumbing pipes or solder joints. But, how does the lead enter our water supply and end up in our homes? Many people are unaware that water is an extremely effective solvent, and over time it can dissolve a wide variety of materials including lead. As the water makes its way through rocks, soil, and miles of plumbing pipes, it will take on many of the characteristics of the materials that it passes through. In some cases, this is beneficial, such as natural mineral content that makes the water healthier, and in other cases, harmful contaminants such as lead can be added.
Why is Lead in Drinking Water Dangerous?
Lead is a nasty material to handle, it’s toxic, and it’s most dangerous when ingested over a prolonged period of time. It’s important to realize that lead cannot be observed with the naked eye, it doesn’t have a particular odour, and if there is low level contamination, it may have a slight metallic taste. Many people don’t realize that they have lead contamination until they carry out a water quality test. Using a water testing kit or laboratory testing is the only accurate way to check for a wide variety of contaminants, including lead. Many people ingest water containing lead for years and suffer negative health effects without understanding the underlying cause of their problems.
The groups most at risk from lead in drinking water are pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under the age of six years old. Lead is toxic, and it can pass into the placenta during pregnancy to cause harm to an unborn child. After the birth, any lead ingested by the mother will be released into her breast milk and then be ingested by the infant. This is extremely dangerous, the possible health risks to children, include premature births, a decrease in mental abilities, learning disorders, and stunted growth.
The reason for increased risks to babies and younger children is caused because they can absorb lead far more easily than an adult. This makes them more susceptible to the negative health effects. Even a low level of exposure can be damaging, leading to problems, such as a loss of hearing, behavioral changes, body size, and impaired intellectual development.
What is an Acceptable Level of Lead Exposure?
The guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality have a maximum acceptable lead concentration level of only 0.01mg/L. Even drinking water with a lead concentration level of 0.015mg/L or 0.005mg/L more than the acceptable level can lead to serious health problems for vulnerable groups. As we’ve seen babies, toddlers and children are typically affected to a greater degree and even these very low levels of lead could cause health problems, such as attention deficit disorders, learning problems and delayed mental and physical development.
Adults are not immune to the risk of low level lead exposure over a prolonged period of time. Many adults that ingest lead laced drinking water over a number of years could suffer from a number of health problems, such as high blood pressure, mood swings, lowered IQ scores, a reduction is dexterity, lowered fertility, anemia and kidney damage. Many people suffering from lead exposure report feelings of weakness in the extremities, digestive problems, and a compromised immune system, making them more susceptible to a variety of illnesses. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified lead as a possible carcinogenic for humans based on extensive testing and the available evidence.
What is the Risk of Lead Exposure?
At this time lead is rarely found in our source water, but it can enter the water supply after treatment as it passes through areas of lead pipes, solder, and fixtures. Any home built prior to 1986 is far more likely to have lead plumbing pipes and fixtures. A common problem is chrome or brass plated plumbing fixtures and faucets that contain a significant amount of lead. These fixtures and faucets are not recognized as a source of lead, and yet they can leach a significant amount, especially if the water is heated.
What Can You Do About Lead in Your Water?
Firstly, it’s important to get your water tested for lead and remove any lead plumbing pipes or fixtures in your home. This will only go so far, there is no way to deal with plumbing pipes that are not on your property, and that may be supplying you with lead contamination. The only way to secure high quality water for your home is to install a whole house water filtration system that can remove lead and other waterborne contaminants.
Contact your local water treatment professional.