It's not just Flint, Mi. The drinking water from many cities throughout U.S. could have high levels of lead, and you would not necessarily know.
As Flint, many places have water systems that depend on lead pipes to carry water for homes. When these tubes are disturbed or damaged by road vibrations, chemical disinfectants and even summer heat, can cause lead rust within the tubes to flood, contaminate the water.
You can not see, smell, or lead lead in the water. It can cause permanent damage to the brain and other organs, and is more dangerous for children whose small bodies are still developing, says CDC.
Most people know about lead threat in old paint. People who buy houses built before 1978 are often warned that the old paint chips can be dangerous if ingested. But the lead threat of tap water is not so well known.
Water Fasting For Fat Loss - Is There Lead in Your Water?
Flint entered into trouble when the city narrowed to money tried to lower your water bills. In 2014, an emergency manager named by the State switched the flint of the most expensive Detroit water system to give up water from the polluted river Flint. The water of the acid river corroded the lead water pipes from the city, causing them to blend high levels of lead in the city's drinking water.
The main medical executive of the state estimates that nearly 9,000 children in the city were poisoned. Even if the state has changed the syncote for the Detroit water system, the tubes are so damaged that the water can not yet be safe to drink. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder formally apologized to Flint citizens and promised to fix the problem.
But for many children, the damage can already be done. Lead accumulates in the body and the damage to the nerves that cause can be permanent. A child who has been exposed, even at very low levels, may have problems with attention, learning and controlling impulses. Lead exposure dramatically increases the risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
Flint is an extreme example, but experts who have studied the problem say that the problems seen are being repeated around the country, just quieterly.
"We made some changes in the water that, in retrospect, are actually making lead to worse corrosion," Marc Edwards, PhD, told EPA at a 2014 meeting on the issue. Edwards is a professor of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is leading research on water problems on Flint and already exposed own leading lead problems in Washington, DC. "Lead levels of service lines in many cities are much higher than we never think."
In addition to Washington, independent edwards and others found high levels of lead in tap water in New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Boston.
"This is a national problem," says Yanna Lambrinidou, PhD, the president of her parents by non-toxic alternatives, a non-profit group that defends the changes to protect people from lead in water.
"It's going to sound crazy to say that, but Flint is one of the lucky cities that were really footprints," she says.
EPA requires utilities to conduct regular lead tests in water, but these rules were established in 1991, and they depend on test methods that Edwards and other scientists have since losing the leadership .
EPA has been in the process of updating the regulation, called a leader and copper rule since 2008.
"The process has taken much more than nobody thought," he said lambrinidou , which served in a panel of experts who issued recommendations for the EPA. She says she does not expect to see even a first sketch of any changes in the crevice and copper rule for another 2 years. EPA did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Both lambrinidou and Edwards say they expect the situation in flint to have a silver coating, highlighting the urgency of the problem for legislators and speed authorities.
EPA officials are supposed to meet FLINT families that were affected by lead poisoning.
"I have no doubt that [the crisis in Flint] is affecting the EPA, but if there is greater urgency now, which is truly and sincerely felt, it is impossible for me to know" Lambrinidou says.
No one is sure how many lead service lines are still out there or even where they are. Cities like Washington who tried to replace their lead water pipes discovered that they could not easily locate them because the original maps had been lost, says Edwards.
A study, commissioned by water utilities, estimated that somewhere between 74 million and 96 million people could be drinking water with leadership above the secure limit if the EPA needs stricter tests.
Read the filter label carefully to make sure it was certified to remove the lead. There are launchers and filters mounted on tap that will do the job.
"Make sure you use the filtered water for drinking and cooking," she says.
If you are worried about lead poisoning, a doctor can check the recent and continuous exposure with a blood test. The lead begins to migrate out of the blood within about 48 hours after eating or drinking, then more specialized tests may be needed to pick up the older or more sporadic exposure.
and finally, your tap water can be tested for lead. Start by contacting your water utility. Some offer free tests. If your not, you can pick up a lead test kit from most improvement or home hardware stores.
