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Toxic Heavy Metals in Your Drinking Water

Heavy metals are taken into the body with the food we eat, the air we breathe, by absorption through the skin in manufacturing or increasingly, people are becoming concerned about the toxic heavy metals that can enter their systems through the simple intake of a glass of drinking water. Some heavy metals – in small quantities – are good for us and provide nutritional value needed to maintain good health. But heavy metals can be deadly when they accumulate in the soft tissues of the body and don’t metabolize.

So how do the heavy metals get into the drinking water? Good question! Generally the direst consequences occur when the heavy metals are allowed to runoff from industrial, pharmaceutical or municipal sources and end up in our waterways - that in turn ends up in our drinking water. Not all of it is from industry as some is derived naturally from geologic deposits that end up in groundwater such as deposits of arsenic. These can remain for many years undetected, growing and continuing to contaminate water for years on end. This in turn can lead to vegetables, fruits and fish becoming contaminated as well because they are all using the same water source.

So what are the effects of these heavy metals? Long-term exposure can lead to cancer or organ damage as well as damage to the nervous system. For children, the exposure can reduce development and growth particularly in the fetus and smaller children who are much more sensitive. Other affects can include memory impairment or learning problems, hyperactivity or behavioral problems and even brain damage with severe cases leading to death. It is suspected that most drinking water from wells and taps have some level of toxicity from chemicals, heavy metals or bacteria. This means that all sources – your rivers, lakes, and municipal systems – all have some contamination.

The five heavy metals that are considered the most toxic include aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. Let’s take a look at each and see what type of effects each can have on humans:

Aluminum – Found in municipal water supplies as well as numerous other sources, aluminum is commonly absorbed through the lungs, skin and intestinal tract. Besides drinking water, aluminum is found in antiperspirants, antacids, canned goods including beverages, cookware and utensils as well as cosmetics. Large quantities can lead to problems with the stomach, kidneys and brain as well as brittleness of bones and osteoporosis. Some studies have shown that it may contribute to dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders.
Arsenic – Found in drinking water from municipal or well sources, arsenic is exceedingly toxic as it is poisonous and hard to detect as it has no odor or color. It enters the body through the skin, lungs or mouth and will affect your lungs or skin and cause gastrointestinal disorders. It can lead to cancer, cause kidney damage, respiratory problems and affect the nervous system as well.
Cadmium – Found in well water or from the tap, cadmium is ingested by inhalation or ingestion. It is also found in cigarettes and can cause damage whether you are a smoker or in an environment with a smoker – secondhand smoke. It is also in the air we breathe as a pollutant and is found in batteries and any glazes or enamels on ceramics and can be found in paints, fungicides or from power plants. Cadmium exposure can lead to cancer, heart disease and has been a known factor in thyroid disease and damage to immune systems.
Lead – Found in the water supply especially if lead pipes have been used and is also found in air pollution, cosmetics, fertilizers, hair dyes, tobacco smoke and pottery that has glaze made with lead. Drinking or breathing are the primary ways to ingest lead particularly if you live in an older home or near older buildings that have lead-based paints. With effects on the kidneys, bones, heart and nervous systems, lead is very toxic for pregnant women with effects on fetal development and growth thereby producing behavioral problems or causing learning disabilities.
Mercury – Found in well or tap water, mercury is also found in freshwater fish such as trout or bass and in saltwater fish like swordfish or tuna or shellfish. It is in the air, in cosmetics and batteries, pesticides, laxatives, insecticides and paints. Also found in amalgam dental fillings, mercury is very poisonous and can affect the kidneys, liver or nervous system with some studies showing that it aids in multiple sclerosis or autism.

These are just five heavy metals and there are as many as thirty-five others including iron, copper, and chromium or tin that can also cause toxic problems. So what can we do to limit our exposure to these dangerous heavy metals and ensure that our families are kept safe? One idea is to test your water and then if necessary, you can install a water filtration system in your home to combat this. Many reverse osmosis water purification systems can remove up to 90% of contaminants from your municipal or well water source. This will go a long way towards protecting your family.

Unfortunately this will not eliminate all of your exposure because as you can see many of the everyday products that we use in our homes contain some of these toxic metals although many times in small quantities. Some products are available without the heavy metals – you just have to do some research to look for them and read labels carefully to ascertain which ones have heavy metals and what the percentage is. Many of our foods are also exposed to toxic heavy metals because not only the groundwater that is used to water them contains the contaminants, but in many places the soil also contains the pollutants. The air we breathe every day is full of pollutants as well. The best thing that you can do is be mindful of the threat of these toxic materials and by taking the first step with a water test and laboratory analysis. Here, you begin the process of protecting your family.


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The watershed is the area that drains into a river or lake. Wells get...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Water Quality Problems Water testing can be a great way to determine whether the drinking water in your home is safe for you and your family or not. Contaminated water is not usually noticeable, and there is no smell, taste, or visual indication that the water is unsafe. In fact, water that smells is normally not unsafe simply because of the smell, because this is caused by minerals and other components that have dissolved. The only way to determine the water quality is to have a water sample thoroughly tested for any foreign or pathogenic substances and organisms...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Common Water Problems In The Pool It can either be found free floating in the water or clinging to the sides of the pool or the equipment that you use to clean. Algae is unfortunately nourished by both sunlight and heat and it thrives in water that has a high PH level. If you see it in your pool, it's best if you take steps to get rid of it immediately, because when left untreated it can cover the surface of the water in a matter of hours. Here's another unpleasant fact. Once established, algae fosters the growth of bacteria...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Improving Your Water Quality At Home If you have a well that provides your home with water, you will always need to make sure that your well and the associated equipment is in top working order. If you are building a new well, you do not take any shortcuts, follow your local regulations and build your well to the proper depth and location. It is important that you always monitor the quality of the water being sent to your home from your well. If your well becomes contaminated by rain water runoff or chemical contaminates, take the necessary actions immediately...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Is Your Water Safe To Drink? If you decide to hire a lab to test your water, make sure you work with a certified and approved lab. You want to contact the laboratory and ask for samples of proper sample containers and the specific instructions on where and when to take the sample. You may need to arrange for pickup or delivery of the water samples as well. Regional labs may provide a mail-order option. If you choose to mail your samples to a lab, make sure you seal your water containers completely and follow all the directions...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Protect Your Water Quality Protecting your water quality starts in your yard, line your yard with plants that are native to your area. Remember the water cycle you learned about during science class? Rain water comes down and filters through the soil in your yard. Plants slow the rainwater filtering through your soil which allows more pollutants to be pulled from the water and a higher quality water is able to collect in the underground water table...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Water Quality in Rural Homes The agricultural regions are more vulnerable to water pollution at the source than urban regions. Farms and sub-urban areas very near to agricultural regions or that were once agriculturally oriented will often draw from un-monitored water sources that can be contaminated by a variety of means. Farm run-off is the next leading cause of water pollution behind industrial chemicals. Large industrial size farms and even most family owned operations put out large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Water Quality in Urban Homes However, the quality of a water source may change over time, and sometimes suddenly all at once due to some new contaminant that has been introduced into the system. Many changes can go undetected and the water may look, smell and taste the same as it always had. Moreover, harmful bacteria, parasites, and viruses are invisible to the human eye, so water that looks and tastes clean may not necessarily be safe to drink. Harmful micro organisms can exist in all types of water supplies, including city reservoirs...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Why Test Your Water Are you interested in learning more about the water quality in your home? If so, you should consider testing your water. When you test your home’s water you can uncover many issues with your water supply that you may not have even been aware of. Did you know that minerals in your water supply can stain your clothing during the wash? Some water contaminates never visibly appear anywhere, never provide a taste, yet slowly cause harm to your body and testing your water is the only way to discover these impurities...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Should My Water Be Tested? If your water is from a private well, that means that the water is not tested or treated. It also means that if you want to get the water treated, you will have to do so at your own expense. This can be costly, and most “we’ll test your water for free” ads come with a sales pitch and pricey filtering equipment. The best course of action, is to “find an independent testing company”...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Water Quality: A New Priority There are also are growing number of solvents that have found their way into the water supply as well as a certain amount of microbial contamination and chemicals that are added during the treatment of water. As more and more of these chemicals are discovered in the drinking water we use, it’s important to know what steps can be taken to ensure the water we drink is as free as possible from these contaminants...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 How Water Quality Relates to Flooding It should be no surprise to people that floods and other major storms can contaminate the drinking water supply as well as ruin furniture and appliances. If you find yourself stranded after a flood, remember that there may be potable water in the toilet tank or the hot water heater if neither has been submerged. If the flood water has not entered the freezer, you can get drinkable water from melting the ice cubes that have been left...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. Call Toll Free 866-476-2056 Contamination Causes A more vulnerable region for water pollution are rural areas or sub-urban areas very near to agricultural regions or ones that were once agriculturally oriented. Farm run-off is the next leading cause of water pollution. Industrial farms and even most family owned operations spill out large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides over huge areas of land. The rains drag this dangerous mix of chemicals and bio matter into the drainage ditches which eventually find their way to the main water body. Since new suburban housing developments...continue reading Call now for a Free consultation with Inspector; D. Kanakis with regard to your Water Testing and Inspection needs. 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	Toxic Heavy Metals in Your Drinking Water Heavy metals are taken into the body with the food we eat, the air we breathe, by absorption through the skin in manufacturing or increasingly, people are becoming concerned about the toxic heavy metals that can enter their systems through the simple intake of a glass of drinking water. Some heavy metals – in small quantities – are good for us and provide nutritional value needed to maintain good health. But heavy metals can be deadly when they accumulate in the soft tissues of the body and don’t metabolize. So how do the heavy metals get into the drinking water? Good question! Generally the direst consequences occur when the heavy metals are allowed to runoff from industrial, pharmaceutical or municipal sources and end up in our waterways - that in turn ends up in our drinking water. Not all of it is from industry as some is derived naturally from geologic deposits that end up in groundwater such as deposits of arsenic. These can remain for many years undetected, growing and continuing to contaminate water for years on end. This in turn can lead to vegetables, fruits and fish becoming contaminated as well because they are all using the same water source. So what are the effects of these heavy metals? Long-term exposure can lead to cancer or organ damage as well as damage to the nervous system. For children, the exposure can reduce development and growth particularly in the fetus and smaller children who are much more sensitive. Other affects can include memory impairment or learning problems, hyperactivity or behavioral problems and even brain damage with severe cases leading to death. It is suspected that most drinking water from wells and taps have some level of toxicity from chemicals, heavy metals or bacteria. This means that all sources – your rivers, lakes, and municipal systems – all have some contamination. The five heavy metals that are considered the most toxic include aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. Let’s take a look at each and see what type of effects each can have on humans: Aluminum – Found in municipal water supplies as well as numerous other sources, aluminum is commonly absorbed through the lungs, skin and intestinal tract. Besides drinking water, aluminum is found in antiperspirants, antacids, canned goods including beverages, cookware and utensils as well as cosmetics. Large quantities can lead to problems with the stomach, kidneys and brain as well as brittleness of bones and osteoporosis. Some studies have shown that it may contribute to dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders. Arsenic – Found in drinking water from municipal or well sources, arsenic is exceedingly toxic as it is poisonous and hard to detect as it has no odor or color. It enters the body through the skin, lungs or mouth and will affect your lungs or skin and cause gastrointestinal disorders. It can lead to cancer, cause kidney damage, respiratory problems and affect the nervous system as well. Cadmium – Found in well water or from the tap, cadmium is ingested by inhalation or ingestion. It is also found in cigarettes and can cause damage whether you are a smoker or in an environment with a smoker – secondhand smoke. It is also in the air we breathe as a pollutant and is found in batteries and any glazes or enamels on ceramics and can be found in paints, fungicides or from power plants. Cadmium exposure can lead to cancer, heart disease and has been a known factor in thyroid disease and damage to immune systems. Lead – Found in the water supply especially if lead pipes have been used and is also found in air pollution, cosmetics, fertilizers, hair dyes, tobacco smoke and pottery that has glaze made with lead. Drinking or breathing are the primary ways to ingest lead particularly if you live in an older home or near older buildings that have lead-based paints. With effects on the kidneys, bones, heart and nervous systems, lead is very toxic for pregnant women with effects on fetal development and growth thereby producing behavioral problems or causing learning disabilities. Mercury – Found in well or tap water, mercury is also found in freshwater fish such as trout or bass and in saltwater fish like swordfish or tuna or shellfish. It is in the air, in cosmetics and batteries, pesticides, laxatives, insecticides and paints. Also found in amalgam dental fillings, mercury is very poisonous and can affect the kidneys, liver or nervous system with some studies showing that it aids in multiple sclerosis or autism. These are just five heavy metals and there are as many as thirty-five others including iron, copper, and chromium or tin that can also cause toxic problems. So what can we do to limit our exposure to these dangerous heavy metals and ensure that our families are kept safe? One idea is to test your water and then if necessary, you can install a water filtration system in your home to combat this. Many reverse osmosis water purification systems can remove up to 90% of contaminants from your municipal or well water source. This will go a long way towards protecting your family. Unfortunately this will not eliminate all of your exposure because as you can see many of the everyday products that we use in our homes contain some of these toxic metals although many times in small quantities. Some products are available without the heavy metals – you just have to do some research to look for them and read labels carefully to ascertain which ones have heavy metals and what the percentage is. Many of our foods are also exposed to toxic heavy metals because not only the groundwater that is used to water them contains the contaminants, but in many places the soil also contains the pollutants. The air we breathe every day is full of pollutants as well. The best thing that you can do is be mindful of the threat of these toxic materials and by taking the first step with a water test and laboratory analysis. Here, you begin the process of protecting your family.