The Dangerous Poison That Could Be Affecting Your Children
Discover how elevated levels of lead could be severely impacting their health and development.
Lead in drinking water poses a serious and often underestimated risk to the health of our children.
The EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have not identified any safe level of lead in children’s blood, underscoring the importance of urgently addressing this issue.
Why is lead in drinking water dangerous?
Lead is a toxic metal that can have serious health effects, even at low levels of exposure. The EPA sets the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero, given its ability to accumulate in the body over time and cause irreversible damage.
Impact on children’s health and development:
Children, infants, and fetuses are most vulnerable to lead, as the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower levels of exposure in children than in adults. In children, low levels of lead exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning problems, growth impairment, hearing impairment, and formation and function problems of blood cells.
It is important to recognize all the ways a child can be exposed to lead. If a child’s blood lead level is at or above the CDC’s action level of 5 micrograms per deciliter, it may result from lead exposure from a combination of sources. The EPA estimates that drinking water may account for 20% or more of a person’s total lead exposure. In babies who consume mostly formula made with water, drinking water may account for 40% to 60% of their lead exposure.
Even low levels of lead in children’s blood can cause:
- Behavioral and learning problems
- Poor IQ and hyperactivity
- Delayed growth
- Hearing problems
- Anemia
- Rarely, lead intake can cause seizures, coma, and even death.
What can you do?
- First, learn more about the water entering your home.
- Second, have your water tested for lead.
Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only safe way to check for dangerous levels of lead in your drinking water.
- Third, be aware that boiling water will NOT remove lead.
Using certified water treatment filters or devices is crucial to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our families.
