Ancient Romans knew that lead water pipes were unhealthy and so they preferred terracotta pipes. It's hard to imagine why the U.S. ever had a single lead water pipe, let alone huge numbers of them. Updated with a reference for the downvoters: Sheets of lead were used to line Roman aqueducts (as was cement) and lead pipes to convey water. But lead also was known to be unwholesome and, for that reason, pipes made of cl…
Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
11–20 of 146 posts
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#12If I travel to the US (Let's say Los Angeles, Seattle and New York) how do I know if the tap water is safe to drink? In the EU I normally just ask a local. In Germany it's safe to drink but in the Czech Republic you might be better off drinking bottled water (last time I checked was ~10 years ago, sorry if it's changed).
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Drinking distilled water is not a good idea, which is basically what reverse osmosis gives you stripping out essential minerals. It's also an incredibly wasteful 4:1 process. Look into three stage filtering, that's all you need.
That does not help with hard water, which I found is a big problem in midwest. RO is more or less the only reasonably cheap way to reduce TDS.
Softening water with sodium or potassium also works (to resolve hard water). Its an ion exchange process.
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#14Nassim Taleb taught me that the absence of known danger is not the same as safety. Repeat that to yourself the next time you read your cities water report. It's not "I know my water is safe" it's "I know I don't face these specific dangers. What else could be in the water that they don't test for?" Look into reverse osmosis.
Drinking distilled water is not a good idea, which is basically what reverse osmosis gives you stripping out essential minerals. It's also an incredibly wasteful 4:1 process. Look into three stage filtering, that's all you need.
We have an reverse osmosis unit that has a "remineralizer," which adds back in minerals. It's basically a filter canister with minerals in it, which mineral-free RO water dissolves.
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#15If I travel to the US (Let's say Los Angeles, Seattle and New York) how do I know if the tap water is safe to drink? In the EU I normally just ask a local. In Germany it's safe to drink but in the Czech Republic you might be better off drinking bottled water (last time I checked was ~10 years ago, sorry if it's changed).
Default to not drinking from taps directly. I live in Seattle. We only use tap water after filtering with a Brita Filter for drinking and cooking. When we are outside home, we either bring filtered water with us or buy bottled water. At restaurants, if in doubt we ask if water is directly from tap.
Since the flint lead news, I have been exploring how can I get my tap water tested on a routine.
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#16Ancient Romans knew that lead water pipes were unhealthy and so they preferred terracotta pipes. It's hard to imagine why the U.S. ever had a single lead water pipe, let alone huge numbers of them. Updated with a reference for the downvoters: Sheets of lead were used to line Roman aqueducts (as was cement) and lead pipes to convey water. But lead also was known to be unwholesome and, for that reason, pipes made of cl…
Most houses in the U.S. built prior to a few decades ago have lead paint and many have asbestos. Then there's the whole leaded gasoline fiasco.
The world has known of the danger of lead and many other dangerous substances, but often still chooses to use the dangerous substance.
Sometimes it's because there weren't alternative substances that could do what needed to be done. Sometimes it was just a matter of expense. Sometimes it's because the dangerous substance was supposed to be used in a safe fashion, however reality proved the safe fashion to be overly optimistic.
Course, then there are cases like the leaded gasoline that should be considered one of the greatest crimes of all time.
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#17If I travel to the US (Let's say Los Angeles, Seattle and New York) how do I know if the tap water is safe to drink? In the EU I normally just ask a local. In Germany it's safe to drink but in the Czech Republic you might be better off drinking bottled water (last time I checked was ~10 years ago, sorry if it's changed).
Default to not drinking from taps directly. I live in Seattle. We only use tap water after filtering with a Brita Filter for drinking and cooking. When we are outside home, we either bring filtered water with us or buy bottled water. At restaurants, if in doubt we ask if water is directly from tap. Since the flint lead news, I have been exploring how can I get my tap water tested on a routine.
Any results on the routine testing? Pointers?
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#18Nassim Taleb taught me that the absence of known danger is not the same as safety. Repeat that to yourself the next time you read your cities water report. It's not "I know my water is safe" it's "I know I don't face these specific dangers. What else could be in the water that they don't test for?" Look into reverse osmosis.
Drinking distilled water is not a good idea, which is basically what reverse osmosis gives you stripping out essential minerals. It's also an incredibly wasteful 4:1 process. Look into three stage filtering, that's all you need.
Carbon filtration will not remove dissolved solids (lead, heavy metals) without added ion-exchange resins. RO is generally the most effective broad spectrum treatment method for drinking water.
The mineral issue is pretty much bunk, if the lack of trace minerals in your water is a concern you need to see a doctor. Food is your body's preferred source of minerals, you have to drink a lot to have much effect on your daily mineral intake.
The waste water is real, 4 to 1 is about average, it can be improved but it's pretty unavoidable in the process. They are water using appliances, we use 20-40 gallons of water to wash a load of clothes and most people don't think twice about it.
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Default to not drinking from taps directly. I live in Seattle. We only use tap water after filtering with a Brita Filter for drinking and cooking. When we are outside home, we either bring filtered water with us or buy bottled water. At restaurants, if in doubt we ask if water is directly from tap. Since the flint lead news, I have been exploring how can I get my tap water tested on a routine.
Any results on the routine testing? Pointers?
Re: Unsafe Lead Levels in Tap Water Not Limited to Flint
#20Nassim Taleb taught me that the absence of known danger is not the same as safety. Repeat that to yourself the next time you read your cities water report. It's not "I know my water is safe" it's "I know I don't face these specific dangers. What else could be in the water that they don't test for?" Look into reverse osmosis.
Drinking distilled water is not a good idea, which is basically what reverse osmosis gives you stripping out essential minerals. It's also an incredibly wasteful 4:1 process. Look into three stage filtering, that's all you need.
I took a nutrition course given by a former top tennis pro. It was awesome. He recommended a reverse osmosis setup where you add alkalinity to the water. Celtic sea salt, lemon, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, active h2, etc,... not all at once necessarily but thats the protocol I eventually setup at my home.