I'm always looking for ways to protect my health by eliminating toxins in my home. Lately I've been thinking about the quality of my tap water. After all, I live in an old building in a very crowded city!
We all know that having lead in your water is bad news. Even small amounts over a long period of time can cause anaemia, nerve damage, mental impairment... The list goes on and on. Lead exposure is especially harmful for babies and small children, and lead can cross the placenta during pregnancy. (Keep that in mind, pregnant readers!)
When I checked the EPA's website to find out how to test my water I learned that I can check the quality of my water supply by reading my EPA annual water quality report. This is a good place to start; however, the report will not show me if my own household plumbing is leaking lead into my water.
To do that, the EPA recommends contacting my state certification officer for a list of certified laboratories. They suggest testing for copper and pH as well. If the pH in your water is below 6.5, you could have copper leaching into your water.
Hopefully my water is fine; if not, one option is to install a lead-removing filter certified by NSF International.
For more information:
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791
National Lead Information Center 1-800-LEAD-FYI
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