The potential hazards of lead and the devastating effects it can have on your health have been talked about for years. We can all admit that lead is a heavy toxic metal that accumulates in your body over a period of time. Lead is usually found in soil, foods, and air, and regular exposure to this can damage the immune systems of many.
According to experts, it can lead to various disadvantages. Reduced fetal growth and premature birth are also some of the factors. Children who also have exposure to lead also suffer from low IQ, slowed growth, hearing problems, learning problems, etc. Not just that, infants also receive approximately 40-60% of the lead exposure through consumption of lead water.
Even though the symptoms don’t appear in adults and older kids, lead exposure is on the rise. Even the slightest amounts of each within the body can lead to massive side effects. Consuming drinking water over many years can also lead to many health problems. This leads to poor kidney functions and reproductive and cardiovascular issues.
How do you know if you have signs of lead in your body?
The amount of lead found in water can easily be detected via smell, odor, and sight. This leads to lead poisoning which could have a massive impact on your health. Symptoms don’t always appear until there are dangerous amounts that have stayed in your body for a long period of time. Infants and kids usually absorb such toxins very easily, which makes them reactive and also susceptible to the effects of water. Some of them include hearing loss, excessive weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc. In a few cases, too much exposure can also lead to seizures.
So, if you have had any exposure to lead, you could also speak to a healthcare provider. The side effects of consuming water that is high in the lead could stay hidden within your body for years. You could also use a blood test to confirm whether your child and you accumulated high levels of lead in your body, which could lead to major effects. To understand how you can control their effects, read below.
How can you reduce lead in drinking water?
Since lead is found in various sources, it is practically impossible to completely eliminate all contact with lead. But, you could use simple techniques to use the levels of lead in your water. To understand what you can do at home starting today, read the following points enlisted today.
- In order to reduce the amount of lead in water, you could flush the water pipes in your home. This will significantly reduce lead exposure. If the water has been sitting inside the pipes beyond six hours, consider flushing first.
- Before you directly consume water from the tap, let it flow first. You could wash dishes, finish laundry, or even take a shower.
- Clean your faucet screen as often as possible as it can gather debris, sediment, and others, which includes particles of lead.
- Always check the building records. Older homes will always lead to more lead-based paint or even materials related to plumbing can highly increase lead exposure.
Regular exposure to lead could be a real problem. However, there are many sustainable solutions you can take a look at. Using water faucet fillers will help remove toxic metals and other compounds that are found within systems. It will definitely keep your family in good health, drink water that is healthy and take care of the environment at the same time too.
