Heavy Metals & Your Tap Water

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http://www.mercola.com/2004/sep/4/heavy_metals_water.htm

 

Heavy Metals & Your Tap Water

 

By Brian Cronin, Director of AquaMD

 

 

For some, the term " heavy metal " conjures up images of

wailing guitars, thunderous drums and stacks of

amplifiers. Although those power chords can hurt your

ears at high volume, the heavy metals found in our

nation's tap water are far more harmful.

 

Heavy metals are inorganic chemical elements with

relatively high density and are toxic even at low

concentrations. Some examples include mercury,

arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead. These

metallic elements occur naturally in the Earth's crust

as geologic formations, and cannot be degraded or

destroyed.

 

Heavy metals enter our bodies in various ways:

 

* The food we eat

* The air we breathe

* The water we drink

 

In low traces, some heavy metals -- like copper and

zinc -- are essential to maintaining good health and

metabolism within the human body. But, in higher

concentrations, even beneficial metals can be toxic

and poison us.

 

What makes heavy metals particularly dangerous is

their tendency to bioaccumulate, meaning the increased

concentration of a chemical in our bodies over time.

 

We absorb heavy metals from the environment and they

are stored at a rate that is faster than they are

metabolized or excreted from the body. Heavy metals

accumulate in the water supply through human activity,

such as industrial and consumer waste. Commercial

processes, like mining, agriculture, manufacturing and

the discarding of wastes in landfills, are all common

sources of heavy metal contamination.

 

Even rainwater, with its acidic pH, can cause these

compounds to leach into the surface and underground

water supplies from the surrounding soil and rock.

 

Even our own home can be a source of heavy metal

contamination. In homes built before the late 1980s,

lead and copper can leach into the passing water from

water pipes and soldered joints on the way to our

taps. Low pH and elevated temperatures result in

increased corrosion of water pipes.

 

Left unchecked, lead can give rise to chronic nerve,

brain and kidney damage as well as blood disorders.

Homes with children, senior citizens and people with

immune system problems are particularly vulnerable.

 

While the EPA sets maximum contaminant levels (MCL)

for heavy metals in our drinking water, practically

all of their testing takes place at the water source

and during treatment. Only a tiny fraction of the

testing takes place randomly at the home tap level

where metal contamination can easily occur. For those

of us on private wells, there is no one looking out

for your water quality. The testing is left solely up

to you.

 

Detection is the first step toward protecting

yourself. Once you know what's in your water, then you

can find a solution to rectify the problem.

 

Remember, no two filters are alike ... and no single

filter exists that can remove all possible

contaminants. Always test your water with a certified

laboratory, as they are required to follow mandatory

testing procedures and can detect down to parts per

billion.

 

Relying on your senses simply isn't smart. Certified

analysis will result in the type of accuracy that you

need when assessing your water's overall potability

and quality.