Having anything in your water is typically not great. Any instances of lead within your pipes, or tank water needs to be treated as an emergency and an expert plumber should be contacted immediately.
Lead is an element, and its symbol is Pb (derived from the Latin word, Plumbum). Its atomic number is 82 in the periodic table. It is a dense metal, which is heavier than many usual substances.
Exposure to lead may have a significant effect on health, but especially on children and pregnant women. When its exposure becomes high, it may even attack the brain along with the nervous system causing coma, seizures, and potentially death.
Lead is found in our environment, soil, air, water, and even our homes. It is also found in the tap water we drink.
It enters the drinking water once the plumbing substances, which comprise lead corroding, specifically in the regions, where water’s acidity is high and water’s mineral content is low, eroding the pipes and plumbing system.
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Within the homes that have lead pipes, they connect the water main to the home, this is called the service line of lead. Also, these ducts are generally, a crucial place of origin of lead inside the water.
In all probability, lead pipes are found in the oldest cities and houses established before the year 1986. In homes, where there is no lead service line, the issue that is faced is the aluminium or chrome-plated aluminium valves and plumbing with an alloy of lead.
Australia has pretty strict laws and regulations around safe drinking water standards, our standards suggest no more than .01 mg L-1 which is in line with international standards.
Lead in drinking water
One of the possible ways to exposure to lead pollutants in drinking water, and is one of the simplest ways of pollutants to be minimised as well.
The basic way of getting lead toxic in drinking water is just not the oldest pollutants of the water by fuels, used batteries, or even some dangerous debris, the basic way is the dispersal procedure utilised to provide water to your house, and most essentially, the plumbing system in your house.
The plumbing in your house is one of the main ways of lead exposure in the water you drink.
Be mindful that if you have pets, they are also exposed to the lead in their drinking water.
As stated earlier, in the oldest houses, lead was utilised to build the piping and alloy. In houses, built before the year 1930, the pipes were basically composed of lead.
In buildings that were constructed between the years 1930 and 1980, copper wire was typically used; however, the alloy held upright to the lead levels.
Then, between the years 1950 and 1960, stimulated lines of water were used in the new house establishments.
Presently, that kind of piping has not been in use widely, yet it is usually utilised with the applications of well water.
Once the pipe erodes, the insides of the pipes get rusty. Additionally, when it happens, the water is then changed into discoloured and irregular water that has a tendency to be yellowish, brown, or reddish.
This does not suggest that the latest homes are secure from lead pollutants; the accessible information shows that the buildings that were built around 5 years ago may also have a higher degree of lead.
Buildings that were established before 1986, may comprise a few lead plumbing.
The steps to avoid lead in drinking water
These easy points assist in avoiding the prospect of contact to lead from the plumbing of the household.
1. Keep water running in order to rinse the lead out
If the water is not being used for a lot of time, keep the water tap on for around 30 seconds to 3 minutes or until it gets cold prior to drinking or using it for cooking.
Doing this, the lead that is stuck in the pipes gets rinsed out. Additionally, this may also cut down the content of lead present in the water level up to 90%.
2. Make sure to utilise fresh and cool water in cooking and for preparing formula
Never use cold water for cooking or drinking from the tap that pours hot water; lead solutes more rapidly in hot water compared to cold water.
Therefore, do not make use of hot water from the tap in order to make a formula for the baby. Also, never boil water to remove the lead.
3. Use a filter to stay safe
Not every water filter reduces the lead; therefore, before purchasing make sure the one you buy does, have your water filter installed professionally. Ensure to maintain and change the device of the filter according to the instructions of the manufacturer in order to secure the quality of water.
4. Clean the tap inflater regularly
The tiny substances that contain lead from alloy or even plumbing and drainage system may become confined in the tap inflater. Cleaning it every now and then will cut down the substances and remove your contact to lead.
5. Opt for purchasing low-lead installations
In 2014, every pipe, installation, and fittings of the house are needed to comprise lead of less than 0.25%.
If you are looking to purchase new installations, you must look out for those containing the lowest amount of lead.
To check the lead-free items and purchase them for your house, make sure to collect information from EPA regarding numerous certifications.
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6. Take tests of your tap water to find the content of lead
While accumulating the samples from the tap water to test them, it is extremely necessary that you prohibit using the water in your house for a minimum of 6 hours before taking the samples.
The instructions can vary in your city or the laboratory you select for collecting the samples, yet gathering the “pre-flush” sample is not to be missed.
7. Take care of growing and developing bodies
As much as possible, only strained or bottled fresh water to make a formula for the body and food in the house. Young kids, pregnant ladies, and nursing women must utilize filtrated or bottled fresh water to drink and cook.
Also, parents must take into account that they should get their children checked for exposure to lead by a doctor.
8. Consider replacing the lead service line
There are approximately 3.3 million LSIs or lead service lines in Australia.
Around 50-75% of Australia’s water systems have LSIs, facilitating around 18 million people.
Most of the water systems are taking measures to diminish LSI after the Lead and Copper Rule had been adopted in the year 1991.
9. Cut down erosion and test the chemistry of water
An essential aspect of today’s drinking water care is reducing erosion to minimize the lead from the drinking water and to resolve other problems as well.
CCT, Corrosion Control Treatment is specifically essential where LSIs take place. Corrosion Control Treatment differs in every system of water on the basis of the pipe’s age and their service lines, from where the drinking water is coming from and the chemistry, along with the system’s size.
10. Know more about the levels of lead in your community
Each year, the systems of public water make a CCR, Consumer Confidence Report that involves the data on lead controlling solutions. The water systems post lead controlling solutions online as well.
11. Use the method of distillation
Distillation is an extremely slow procedure and needs a good amount of energy from a great source of heat. Hence, it may not be the ultimate procedure for removing the lead, but it is effective in doing so.
12. The method of filtration through carbon
A few carbon block filtrates are created to cut down the lead; nevertheless, their ability to remove lead may become weakened quickly. Hence, hindering their capabilities of removing the lead.
For instance, the filter of carbon is only able to filter around 38,000~ litres containing water that may not be effective at cutting down the lead except the foremost 7,500~ litres. Hence, carbon filtrates with lead removal capabilities can not always provide a reliable method for the treatment.
13. The process of reverse osmosis
Throughout the process of reverse osmosis treatment of water, the water is given pressure (by the household water compression) with the help of some filtrates.
The layer in the system of reverse osmosis filters out the lead along with various other pollutants, only letting water to filter through. The contaminants are rinsed out, letting you drink filtered, clean, and healthy water.
A reverse osmosis system is an extremely efficient procedure for filtering the water with the lowest production cost, consumes zero electricity, and is extremely easy to use, maintain, and clean.
14. Consider changing the piping and drainage system of your house
First of all, make sure if you have any kind of lead-contained piping systems or installations in your home.
If you are assured of having lead-containing systems, then a certified plumber may be of great help in this cause because only he or she is the person who knows to plumb better than anyone else.
Change the plumbing inside the household that can contain even little chances of lead. If you furnish some new piping systems or installations, rinse the taps of cold water after that.
Changing the components of home plumbing is highly effective when the lead’s source is inside the plumbing systems of the home. If the lead arises from the lead service line inside of a public system of water, this technique may not provide many benefits.
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Keeping Your Family Safe
In the end, the only sure method to minimise the danger to lead is by removing all the pipework containing lead from the house. Changing the pipes between the tap and the house are the obligation of the owner of the house.
When the pipes are renewed, you can contact the plumbing service to renew the tiny parts of lead in the parts of the service pipeline between the main line of water in the area and the value of the house.
There is a treatment technique for lead known as the Lead And Copper Rule, which needs the water system to handle the corroding of the water.
This regulation has a system to accumulate the water samples from the tap systems that have a tendency of having plumbing substances comprising lead as well.
When higher than 10% of the samples of tap water passes the action level of the lead of 15 parts for every one billion, in this case, water systems are needed to perform some other tasks which include:
- Performing other tasks maximize the erosion maintenance treatment (for the water systems that serve 50,000 individuals who do not have fully maximized erosion control).
- Giving awareness to the people about the exposure of lead in drinking water and the steps people can take in order to minimize the exposure to lead.
- Changing the lead service line’s divisions (lines that joins frequency mains to the people) according to the control of the water system.
Lead is unusual in a way that various lead in drinking water become apparent from the plumbing in the houses or building, and the solution comprises mainly diminishing the plumbing and installations that contain it; however, this needs time and money as well. If you are looking to purchase a house, you can always have the pipes inspected and water tested to know what your new property supplies.
In the meantime, each and every empirical method to mitigate the complete exposure to lead, which includes, erosion control, must be executed. Remember if you are not sure to always ask your local plumber any questions about led in tap water.
