Lead Exposure In Drinking Water
An alert issued in July last year by enHealth advised that residents should run their taps for at least 30 seconds prior to consuming the water to remove traces of lead that could be infecting their water. Since this alert, our nation's chief medical officer has assured us that household drinking water is indeed safe to consume.
Lead effects on the human body
Lead is poisonous to humans and should only ever be consumed in the smalled quantities possible and under medical advice. Lead can have serious effects on the human body with even worse effects on small children and infants. Some of the effects on the body include:
Complications for Adults
- Muscle Pains
- Fatigue
- Abdominal Pains
- Anaemia
- Irritability
- Constipation
- Poor Appetite
- Difficulty Sleeping
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Comas
Complications for Children
- Loss of Developmental Skills
- Behaviour, Attention Problems
- Hearing Loss
- Kidney Damage
- Reduced IQ
- Slowed Body Growth
- Impairment of Brain Development
Actual lead risks
Many national media outlets ran this story with some even labelling it as an urgent warning. Due to this, there was an uprise in worry within the population. However, Commonwealth chief medical officer Professor Brandan Murphy said "We've got no evidence at all that anyone has become toxic from lead from drinking water". He later stated, "We're not saying our drinking water is unsafe, and people certainly shouldn't be alarmed".
Cause for alarm
One of the big causes of alarm was the high quantities of lead that were allegedly found within an Aldi spiral tap that was removed from shelves after 1000's of the product had already been sold. The company was forced to refund everyone that had installed their tap as well as conduct testing to ensure that the tap was indeed safe to install and use.
Common causes of lead in water
It is possible that lead could be in your drinking water but only a minute amount. This is most likely due to the use of old brass piping from when the home was originally constructed as well as old brass lined taps. Modern-day plumbing components are both low-lead and lead-free to reduce the amount to almost 0.
Brass Plumbing Fixtures
If you are worried or experiencing brown water from your taps then you should schedule for a Pure Plumbing Professionals plumber to come out and assess your taps and replace any that appear to be problematic.
For more information about the lead that could be in your water feel free to contact our staff today on 0407 837 729 and one of our friendly staff will be able to assist you with your query.
