Lead Contamination
Reasons everyone should test for Lead:
- Dublin Ohio Schools' Water 3 times the Acceptable Limit of Lead
- The Health Effects of Lead Poisoning
- Many areas are at risk for Lead Contamination
- Four ways lead can get into Your Water
- Why new houses at risk for Lead Contamination
- How to get a Low Cost or Free Water Test
10 TV News Reports: Lead in Dublin Schools Water
April 4th, 2008 - WBNS 10TV news reports over 3 times the EPA Acceptable Limit for lead in Dublin City Schools' drinking water.
Get the Full Story HERE!
Upon this shocking discovery, Columbus City Schools announced that they too would be testing ALL of their schools; both for lead and other contaminants. Testing will cost about $27,000.00.
Get the Full Follow Up Story HERE!
The Health Effects of Lead Poisoning
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:
"It is important to know that even exposure to low levels of lead can cause severe harm to children."
In children, lead can cause:
- Nervous System and Kidney Damage
- Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD), and Decreased Intelligence
- Speech, Language, and Behavior Problems
- Poor Muscle Coordination
- Decreased Muscle and Bone Growth
- Hearing Damage
- Seizures
- Unconsciousness
- Death in some cases
In adults, lead can cause:
- Increased chance of illness during Pregnancy
- Harm to a fetus, including Brain Damage or Death
- Fertility Problems (in Men and Women)
- High Blood Pressure
- Digestive Problems
- Nerve Disorders
- Memory and Concentration Problems
- Muscle and Join Pain
Why areas other than Dublin are also at Risk
The factors that may have led to Dublin’s Lead Problem are common everywhere.
The reason lead was found in Dublin is because lead was tested for in Dublin. Other areas of Columbus are no less at risk for lead contamination than Dublin was. Columbus City School district leaders agree and they too will be testing, hopefully by June.
This TV news story from Washington D.C. does an excellent job of explaining how lead can get in your water. While this particular story didn’t take place in Columbus, the coverage of the story does explain why this lead problem is everywhere in the U.S. and why we need to pay much more attention to this issue than we have.
Note: The audio and the video for this story are out of sync. It is a problem with the file
itself and nothing is wrong with your computer. You don’t need to adjust anything.
Four ways lead can get into Your Water
- Erosion of natural deposits into source waters (rivers, reservoirs, etc)
- Pipes (either from the city delivery system or the pipes in your home)
- Pipe Solder (a material used to join pipes)
- Water fixtures in your home (such as sink faucets)
The city does test our tap water for lead. If it’s found at the treatment plant, it will be removed. The men and women who work at our plants deserve to be commended on the job they do, given the constraints they face in time, technology and funding.
According to the EPA’s website, lead typically gets into your water after the water leaves your local treatment plant.
The only sure answer is to test it after it comes out of your spigot, right in your own home.
Why new houses at risk for Lead Contamination
New homes can have lead in their water too, despite the fact that lead pipe use was banned in 1988.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states:
“Lead-contaminated drinking water is most often a problem in houses that are either very old or very new. More likely than not, water in buildings less than five years old has high levels of lead contamination.”
It has something to do with the fact that over time your pipes develop a “natural coating” that shields the water from the lead.
The same TV news report from Fox 5, Washington D.C. referenced above does a good job at explaining how lead could be getting in your water and why you are still at risk, even in a newly built home.
How to get a Low Cost or Free Water Test
For only $9.97, a NWC Certified Partner will test your family’s water for lead, as well as many other potentially dangerous contaminants. Alternatively we offer a free test as well. Schedule your test today!
