3 Ways to Ensure Your Water is Safe

Drinking tap water is much better for your budget than investing in bottled water, but it is imperative to be aware of the fact that you could be exposing yourself and your family to lead or any other harmful elements. With these tips you will be able to feel secure about your water for you and your family.

What Causes Lead in Water?
In most cases, tap water does not contain lead until after it leaves a treatment plant and become exposed to your household plumbing. In older houses, plumbing can contain corroded materials such as lead pipes, brass faucets or copper pipes, thereby, passing lead to you and your family.
The only way to know for certain if there is lead in your water is to have it tested, but you can also take preventative steps even if you have not been through the testing process.

Below are three tips for staying safe:

1. Replace rusted or corroded plumbing
This tip is more costly but it will definitely ensure your family is not consuming lead. This option is most appropriate for individuals seeking to completely upgrade their plumbing system.

2. Flushing your taps
In fact, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, flushing your taps by letting them run for at least 60 seconds is a good way to remove any lead that could be present in your pipes. However, if you have a lead service line, it is necessary to let your taps run for at least three to four minutes to be on the safe side.

3. Heat water later
Additionally, anyone who knows that they have a lead issue should never use hot water for drinking and cooking because this will dissolve the lead more quickly. It is especially imperative to steer clear of hot water that is contaminated with lead when you are making baby formula. Instead, you should heat up water after getting it from the cold faucet.

How Can I Get My Water Tested?

In most areas, your county health department will help you with the process of getting your water tested. You also have the option of utilizing a state certified laboratory, but this is likely to be more expensive. Additionally, you can obtain an inexpensive lead home test kit, and this is often the preferred method of people on a budget.

For example, if your New York landlord is aware that there is lead in the building’s water, they need to correct this issue by replacing the pipes. Failure to do this can easily lead to a lawsuit and perhaps the hiring of an injury lawyer in NY, especially if someone becomes ill as a result. Hopefully, this type of scenario is far and in between.

We are encouraged to drink ample amounts of water as a way to stay healthy and vibrant. However, this becomes a problem when our water is not a well of health. In the end, regardless of the steps you take to ensure the integrity of your water, safety is the main objective and the above mentioned tips can help to accomplish this goal.

Jamica Bell is a freelance writer and blogger. As the wife of a environmental safety professional, she has acquired significant knowledge regarding lead toxicity over the last decade. During her research of an injury lawyer in NY and other resources, she was able to see just how much of an impact this type of injury can have on individuals, especially children.

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