Perhaps for you, there’s only one reason to call plumbing companies in Orem: you have a busted pipe. The water leaking (sometimes like a geyser) can flood not just the bathroom but also other parts of the house. But there’s another plumbing issue that demands the same urgency: lead in the water.
It Doesn’t End in Flint, Michigan
Over the last years, the water crisis in Flint became the poster child for how poor water management and outdated pipes could impact the population’s health.
It all began in 2014 when the city decided to change its water source to Flint River from Detroit River and Lake Huron to save money.
The problem was the government officials failed to control the quality of water. It didn’t use corrosion inhibitors, which eventually caused the old pipes to leak lead. It took the city authorities more than a year to solve the problem as the residents accused them of ignoring their mounting complaints.
By then, the people were already having different health issues, such as itchy skin. Children also had abnormal levels of lead in their bloodstream. More than four years had passed since then, yet the lead problem doesn’t stop at Flint. Studies suggested that similar issues also occurred in Newark, Jersey, and even Utah.
In 2017, more than 85 percent of 249 schools in the Beehive State had some level of lead in their drinking water. In nine of them, the levels were beyond 15 micrograms per liter, which was the action level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
How Lead Affects Children
Lead is a colorless metal that can have a profound effect on people’s health. A study published in Lancet Public Health in 2018 revealed that exposure to it could be associated with over 250,000 premature deaths due to cardiovascular disorders in the United States annually.
In the same year, research from Carnegie Mellon University said that exposure to lead found in topsoil and air could affect the fertility rates for both men and women.
Perhaps the most significant side effect occurs among children. A Drake University study shows that lead exposure during teenage years can persist until adulthood. They will be more susceptible to difficult personality traits and mental disorders.
How Lead Find Its Way into Plumbing
The use of lead pipes is not new. It began as early as the days of the Romans. The metal was a viable material for delivering the water supply since it was malleable and stable.
As studies unravel the dangers, however, the states decided to upgrade the plumbing, but it is not an easy task. One of the reasons is that these pipes can exist in private properties. The older the home is, the more likely it is using a lead pipe.
So far, there are only two ways to know if the water supply has lead. One, the testing reveals it is contaminated. Second, the authorities say so. Either way, it’s best not to wait until the next day to have the pipes changed. Every minute you are exposed to it, the higher are the odds of potential health issues later.
