Lead in your Drinking Water
First Aid Instructions following Toxic Exposure Toxicities in Your Home ... Non-toxic Household Products In a life-and-death situation when every minute counts for an animal, you can call the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center for 24-hour emergency information at 888-4ANI-HELP (888-426-4435). Website: National Animal Poisoning Control Center. |
Did you know that your drinking water can make YOU and YOUR PET sick? Below are some quotes from the 'Home & Safe Lead Testing and Training" organization.
"According to the EPA, chances of having lead in your drinking water are likely to be high if:
- Your home has faucets or fittings made of brass which contains some lead, or
- your home or water system has lead pipes, or
- your home has copper pipes with lead solder, AND the home is less than 5 years old, or you have naturally soft water, or water often sits in the pipes for several hours.
To minimize lead in drinking water you should:
- Use a water filtration system to remove pollutants.
- Flush your pipes. Don't use water that has been sitting in your pipes over six hours. Only use water thoroughly flushed from the cold water tap. Flush until the water becomes as cold as it will get (this can take up to 2 minutes or longer). Once you've flushed a tap, fill a container and put it in the refrigerator for later use.
- Use only cold water for drinking, and especially for making baby formula.
- Never cook with or consume water from the hot-water tap. (Hot water dissolves lead more easily and is therefore more likely to contain higher levels of lead.)
- Have your water tested by a competent laboratory approved by your state or the EPA. (Your local or state department of environment or health should be able to tell you which labs are qualified.) For more informaton on lead toxicity, please visit the EPA website.
Information contained on this website is provided as general advice only and does not replace the recommendation of a medical professional. Before beginning any treatment protocol, please consult with your doctor.
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
Photo contributions and articles are welcome!
