“Lead found in water in 90% of Utah Schools” said recent KUTV story

A recent news story on KUTV dated January 21, 2020 stated, “Lead found in water at 90% of Utah schools, now DEQ wants to test it all.” The story stated that currently there is no requirements to test lead levels in schools. As a result Utah House Bill 88 was introduced requiring lead testing for drinking water of all schools and child care centers.

Quoted in the article was Claudia Fruin, a pediatrician and founder of Utah Lead Coalition, who said, “There’s no safe levels of lead in anybody’s body, but its especially toxic to the developing brain of a young child.” She continues, “Lead exposure is known to cause developmental delays and behavioral disorders in children. I would like to see every single consumable tap in every school and every child care facility in the state tested so that we could mitigate the high occurrences. For us to fail to collect the data and understand what the risk is to children in Utah is irresponsible.”

We have also heard in past news regarding lead in Flint, Michigan and the risk the residence of the city had and will endure because the governmental structures in place are not regularly testing the water and informing the public of potential dangers. As citizens we trust our entities providing us with water to provide us with safe water.

We simply want to go to our kitchen tap and turn on the water and fill our coffee pots or water pitchers with supposedly fresh clean water where we assume the water pouring down our throat is safe. It’s disconcerting, after we have been drinking thousands of gallons of water, that the city informs us that, “Oh, by the way, we have too much lead in our water.” Thats just great as we have now accumulated the lead in our body over years and years and it doesn’t simply go away.

“Lead poisoning happens when lead builds up in the body. After months or years, these can reach dangerous and possibly fatal levels. Lead is a heavy metal and a strong poison. It can accumulate in the body if it enters the mouth or is inhaled.” Jun 18, 2018 www.medicalnewstoday.com › articles. Hence why it is important to reduce the amount of lead we ingest.

One way to be aware of how much potential lead is in your water is to Google your cities water report. Each city is required to submit a water analysis to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)and to meet specific requirements. As you review your city’s report look at the contaminant list, then look at the sample result and compare that to the MCL. They will also list the MCLG which is the Maximum Contaminant Goal, which are stricker parameters that are not yet in place. In the case of lead the MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) is 0.015 mgl. So for instance, in the testing of the water in the Utah Schools only a few of them were over the MCL. However the concern is a tiny amount over time turns into more within your body.

The best way to prevent toxic lead buildup is to take control of your own water and filter it to ensure you have the best possible water. For lead removal and most contaminants a reverse osmosis drinking water system will be your best solution. An RO system focuses on point of use and is specifically for drinking water. Remember that your body is 70% water and the cleaner the water you put into your body the better your body will be. You can also install a catalytic activated carbon filter for the entire home so it can reduce the lead in your showers, sinks, and other water using fixtures.

In the end, you need to take your water quality into your own hands so you can have peace of mind. You will then be in charge of changing your filters on a timely basis to ensure you will always have the best filtration capabilities so you can produce the cleanest water possible. The alternative is to simply accept the quality coming through your pipes and hope it is safe as your drinking it or showering in it.

For high quality equipment from a company who can provides knowledgeable service give us a call at (801) 796-0940 and look at our website as well. We would love to give you peace of mind.