Think Flint, Michigan is the only place in the US with lead in their water? Think again. Lead in many different levels all over our country. There is really no way of knowing exactly where the lead contamination is. The fact is lead in household paint is more tested and regulated than lead in water.
How Many Other States Have a Lead Problem?
The answer to this should be easy to find out, but in fact, there may be more states that have just as bad of a lead contamination problem as Flint, and no one knows. Why? you ask. Well lets see, it is really hard to say for many reasons. But really, should we not know were the contamination is?
- Lead has no taste or smell. You could very well be ingesting it and not even know it.
- Not every child is tested for lead poisoning.
- Not all states are required to track and test for lead.
The data from states that do report high levels of lead in children show some counties have more contamination than that of Flint, Michigan. Nine counties report statistics of ten percent or more children have tested for high levels of lead in their blood. In Louisiana, four Parish’s reported high lead levels in their children. Two Alabama counties also reported high lead levels. Other counties are located in Kentucky, Indiana, West VA and Oklahoma.
The rates of high lead levels in these counties are higher than the reported levels in Flint. Makes one wonder why we don’t hear more about it.
Many counties have programs to help people get lead paint and other building materials out of their home, there is not much that can be done about lead in water. The water contamination can come from anywhere in the labyrinth of pipes that take the water to homes. The infrastructure of many cities water supply is aging and sometimes made from materials that today we would never think of using to transport water. Yet they are still being used. Why? Perhaps the officials don’t have the budget to replace miles of water transporting pipes. Or maybe they don’t think the problem is “that bad”. Still others pawn the problem off on water companies or even residents.
Facts are facts. No amount of lead is safe. Lead causes many health problems. Exposing our children to deadly poisons and not doing anything about it should be a crime.
How Can I Remove Lead From My Water?
The only way to reduce or remove lead from water is by using a high quality home water filter. Look for a solid carbon block and ideally, the filter should be certified to remove the contaminants it claims. There are many water filters on the market today that claim they can remove lead from water, very few are certified for this claim. Multipure is one of the highest quality home water filters that can back its claims up with NSF certification.
Boiling the water will not remove or even reduce lead. The only sure way to reduce this contamination is to filter your water with a good filter.
Drink to Your Health!
Clean, safe drinking water is essential to healthy life. If you are concerned about contaminants in your water, I highly recommend sending a sample to an independent lab for testing. Once you know what is in your water, choose the appropriate filter. Bottled water should not be a log term solution for contaminated tap water. While it is good for an emergency, the goal should be to figure out how to remove what you don’t want and drink your own tap water. Especially if you pay for it.