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As part of the protective measures, EPA advised
residents of Newark to stop drinking water obtained from taps and requested the
city to consider supplying bottled water as an alternative. Even with that
option, there were problems because Newark city also learned that some of the water being distributed had expired.
But
what has been causing the levels of lead within the drinking water in Newark to
increase?
- Failure to treat the water to stop lead from peeling off from the pipes thus causing contamination.
- Neglecting to issue an alert to people notifying them of increased lead levels and the health risks they could cause.
Experts say that there
aren’t any safe levels of lead exposure. Even low levels of lead have been
associated with serious health conditions such as irreversible damage to
developing nervous systems and brain. Pregnant women along with children tend
to be at a higher risk to developing health problems from lead exposure compared
to other people. Exposure to lead has also been linked to kidney problems,
elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, and cognitive dysfunction.
It’s not clear why the filters in the two homes
weren’t extracting lead as they should yet they have been certified by approved
labs and were effectively used during the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The
director of one of the organizations involved in setting the industry standards
regarding water filter certification NSF International said that the failure of
the filters to remove lead was surprising for them. Rick Andrew said that his organization
had never seen such a thing happen before citing the situation as an unusual
one.
A rigorous testing process is done on filters
certified to extract lead. The testing is done by labs like NSF International
to make sure that the filters meet the standards and are working appropriately.
The Water Quality Association does test the filters with contaminated water that is at levels
reaching 150 parts per billion (ppb) – that’s 10 times the EPA’s levels of
15ppb.
Interestingly, researchers involved in the Flint
crisis did do extreme tests of the filters where they tested water contaminated
to the levels of 1,000 ppb, still confirming that the filters indeed removed
the entire lead from the water.
As authorities look into what could have caused the
Newark filters to fail, homeowners need to take precautions to protect
themselves. So, how do you keep a situation like this from occurring to your
water filters?
Get the Right Filters
Filters distributed to residents in Newark were
designed to use activated carbon and they were certified to extract lead. What
you should realize is that not all filters are able to do that. It’s paramount
that you confirm that the filter you are using has been certified by the Water
Quality Association, NSF, or other approved certifying agencies. To be
specific, you want to look for the filters that say they have certified and meet
Standard 53, developed for lead extraction.
Examine Your Lead Levels
While activated carbon contains lots of surfaces
capable of trapping chemicals, it’s not infinite. Sometimes, it can fail to
trap all the chemicals meaning some will be left in the drinking water. While
you may be using the filter aiming at trapping lead, there may be other
compounds that it traps. This means that those compounds compete with the lead
particles to get trapped to the activated carbon surface. It is possible that
if the other contaminants possess more energy or mass, they may knock loose
some of the lead particles sending them back to the water.
To ensure that this kind of situation isn’t
happening, you may want to have the water tested. You can use a laboratory that
has been certified by your state to have the water tested for the lead levels.
And that’s not very expensive – it can cost you only about $20 to $100 or so.
Ensure The Filter Has Been Installed Properly
Filters mounted on the faucet like the ones used in
Newark cost about $20 to $40. That being said, the filters demand several steps
to be done during the installation. It is likely that something can go wrong is
one or several of those steps. The filters may not be easy to install, and if
yours wasn’t installed by a qualified technician, you may want to call in one to
check if they have been mounted properly. Besides, the filters mounted on
faucets need special adapters, if you don’t use those, it is also likely that
they will not fit on the faucets as desired. Again, if the adapter or the
filter does not sit properly inside the housing, there is a likelihood that you
could have some water bypassing the filter and entering the drinking glass or
container you use to draw water.
Have Old Filters Replaced
Many people don’t take it seriously to replace
their old filters, yet this is the most effective way to make sure that lead is
being extracted out of the water. Filters mounted on faucets have cartridges
that can filter approximately 100 gallons of water while pitcher filters can do
40 gallons. The good thing is that these filters have an indicator that signals
you when you need to get a new filtering cartridge.
Use Cold Water
High temperatures can alter many chemical-physical
processes like that one involved in activated carbon. Heat can interrupt the
bonding ability of activated carbon that causes lead particles to stick to the
surface. Also, heat can increase the rate at which lead particles suspend and move
through water causing difficulties in capturing them. Again, heat can cause
bacteria to develop on the filters thus interfering with the ability of the
filters to extract lead.
Examine if there are Damages
The device that contains the filters may
malfunction or it may develop cracks within the carbon block. If any of these
things happen, there may be a path developing through or around your filter
which could pass unfiltered water. So, time in time, have the filters and the
device checked for any damages to be on the safe side. Also, some filters could
come with defects that occurred in their manufacturing place and they accidentally
or unintentionally found their way into the market. Also, you could drop the
lead filter accidentally, causing damage or you could expose it to steaming
water or you could melt the plastic housing of the filter. These are defects
that can contribute to the malfunctioning of the filters.
Conclusion
Lead
in water should be taken seriously and all possible measures put in place to
protect yourself. The little things we overlook can go a long way in saving us
from drinking contaminated water. Using these tips ensures that you have the
right lead filters and they function properly for optimal filtration.
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