Concern about the quality of drinking water is rising in homes—that’s probably why you’re reading our post. Lead is one of the main concerns, and for some pretty good reasons. If there is excess lead in your drinking water, you’ll want to find solutions. We’re here to give you useful information on lead in residential water and what can be done about it.
Why lead gets into household water
Lead in drinking water is a bigger problem in some areas compared to others. Although regulations for drinking water in the U.S. have severely cut down on lead levels in municipal piping, it can still occur in buildings that have lead pipes or lead joints/soldering. Water left sitting in pipes is more likely to have lead levels, which is why people are advised to run the water for at least 30 seconds to flush the lines after no water has been used overnight.
Dangers of lead-contaminated drinking water
Lead is the source of long-term damage that is most hazardous for children and pregnant women. It slows mental and physical development in children. It can also lead to dangerous lead poisoning in high enough concentrations.
How to lower lead levels
The first step is to have your water tested by professionals. They will be able to determine if you have harmful lead levels. After that, there are different steps to take depending on the source of the contamination. Plumbers can find if there are lead pipes or bad soldering that are contributing to the problem, and have the repiping done that will fix it. (Repiping is a good idea for any older house.) They can also recommend and install a water treatment system, such as a reverse osmosis system, that will remove most of the lead from the incoming water.
Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc. serves Cincinnati, OH and the surrounding areas with excellent water treatment services, including testing. Call us to get started on lowering lead in your drinking water.