About 40 years ago when I worked for a major toiletries company, we had a special task force with the mission to change away from a lead toothpaste tube. Many years ago it was not uncommon for toothpaste to be filled into lead tubes. In part this was because a lead tube was easy to “roll-up” to squeeze the toothpaste out.
Although lead has long-gone from toothpaste tubes, it is commonly found in old paint (1950’s and earlier), in pipes and solder. Lead can leach from landfills and from other sources into the drinking water.
One interesting project I was involved in occurred several years back. The Camden NJ School District has a particularly bad lead problem from lead piping. The school district has been paying people to arrive at school early each day and run all the faucets for several minutes prior to the students arriving. This was done to drain the higher levels of lead that accumulated in the drinking water pipes.
Lead can have very serious health impacts , and the effects of lead poisoning can last a lifetime. Not only does lead poisoning stunt a child’s growth, damage the nervous system, and cause learning disabilities, but it is also now linked to crime and anti-social behavior in children. Some say it is the number 1 health threat in young children.
The reason for this is that lead is a “cumulative” toxin. By being cumulative it builds up in the body as the body has no way of eliminating it. Young children are particularly susceptible as lead paints have a pleasant, almost sweet taste. Many young children test positive for lead poisoning, particularly in urban Eastern United States where many houses have been painted with lead paints. You can determine lead levels in your children through a blood test or a relatively simple test of their hair.
You cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water. What level of lead is safe in drinking water? The EPA has set the upper limit of 15 parts per billion for allowable lead in water. On the other hand the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) clearly states “no safe blood level has been identified”. So there you have it.
There is a sure and simple solution to removing lead from drinking water. That is to drink distilled water. The distillation process removes virtually all the lead in water. It does it consistently without a declining removal rate. Take a look at the Pure Water Distillers and rest assured!
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