Is Your Water Safe to Drink?
By Sara Butler
You see headlines quite often about places in the country where the drinking water isn't safe. If that has you concerned about your own drinking water, then it's important to understand how to tell if your water is safe to drink. Here are a few ways you can tell if your tap water is A-OK.
The Dangers
What can get into drinking water that is so dangerous to your health and wellness? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are several health issues that can be caused by contaminated drinking water. Legionnaire's disease, hepatitis A, salmonella, lead poisoning, and e. Coli are a few of the things that can happen as a result of drinking water that is contaminated.
Lead contamination is something that grabs a lot of headlines and has caused public health issues in some communities. Lead plumbing fixtures, pipes, and faucets are the leading cause of lead contamination in drinking water. If you have plumbing fixtures in your home that were installed before 1986, then it needs to be something on your radar.
What Happens With Lead Poisoning?
If you're exposed to lead in any amount, then it can accumulate in your body over time and cause health problems. In children it can cause:
- Hearing issues
- Learning problems
- Behavior problems
- Anemia
- Slow growth
If you're a pregnant woman, then drinking water with lead in it can lead to premature birth or slowed growth of your unborn baby. In non-pregnant adults, exposure to lead can cause:
- Hypertension
- Reproductive problems for both women and men
- Reduce kidney function
The Symptoms
If you're worried about lead exposure, then there are certain symptoms you can be on the lookout for. These include:
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Hearing loss
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain
- High blood pressure
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Memory loss
- Tingling, numbness, or pain in the extremities
If you notice one or more of these symptoms, then it doesn't absolutely mean you have lead poisoning. But you should contact your doctor and get tested for lead.
Get Your Water Checked
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, you can get your water checked regularly for lead by buying a testing kit at your local hardware store. It's possible that your local health department can also furnish you with information about contaminants that are prevalent in the water in your area, so take advantage of it.
Water is essential to your health and wellness, but it's important to ensure your water is safe to drink.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Orlando, Fla.