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If you’re concerned about toxicity in your water supply, knowing how to test for lead can let you know if, and at what level, you may be at risk. But if you live in a house built before that, there is a high chance that you are currently drinking a glass of lead-contaminated water. This testing method will only ensure that your home’s pipes are or are not made of lead. Because of which, this method doesn’t rule out the possibility of lead entering the water before it enters your home’s plumbing system. If there is a problem found with your water, you have the solution right in front of you.
If the pipes are dark in color and look like metal material, the pipes could be lead or galvanized steel. A first-draw sample will come from your pipes first thing in the morning or after a period of stagnant water. Often, first thing in the morning after a quiet night is the best time to conduct this draw.
( Safe Home DIY LEAD in Drinking Water Test Kit – At Home Testing for Lead
If you’re keen to learn more about the common culprits behind water contamination in both city sources and wells, I’ve listed them all in this guide. The Environmental Protection Agency offers some useful resources about the acceptable level of lead in public water. There are many available state-certified laboratories across the US that offer private, professional testing of both public water and well water supplies that may contain lead. Then run your kitchen tap on cold – again, never warm or hot – for an additional two minutes. While boiling water might remove other contaminants, it won’t remove lead.
One of the main ways that lead gets into the air is because it was once one of the key ingredients in gasoline. So, huge amounts of lead were emitted into the atmosphere as people were driving and this lead eventually ended up in ground and water sources. Of much bigger concern is how man contributes greatly to higher levels of lead being found in both city and well water. This becomes even more important if you have small children because even small lead levels impact them much more severely than it does teens and adults.
Climate Change and Health
Go to the EPA’s website and find the list of DEP-certified labs in your vicinity. Alternatively, you can also call the EPA’S safe drinking water hotline to find a lab near you. If you live in a hurricane-prone state, the homes in your area are usually built differently than in states where hurricanes are rarer or nonexistent. For example, your house might come equipped with hurricane windows or hurricane shutters.
On the other hand, avoid alcohol, sugary drinks, sodas, and sodium-rich foods as they’re only contributing to dehydration you’re trying to prevent. The best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to drink more water throughout the day and keep your kidneys working at their optimal level. The symptoms often include confusion, dizziness, seizures, slurred speech, and loss of consciousness.
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Since it isn’t right to entirely rely on your last year’s CCR, the best way to test your water, in our opinion, is to find a certified lab and then send them your water sample. However, before hiring a lab for this job, make sure that it is certified. You can’t entirely trust last year’s report because the chemistry of your water might have changed by now. Water quality often changes throughout the year, and so does the level of contaminants present. This report is the analysis of all water testing conducted in accordance with EPA standards.
Whenever you test for lead, it is important to find out how much lead is in the paint or soil you test. Your house is near a freeway or busy roadway where leaded gasoline and its exhaust may have polluted the soil with lead. Select PayPal Credit at checkout to have the option to pay over time. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with a clean swab which will serve as a reference to help distinguish the color-change. Testing costs can range from about $15 to $100, the EPA says, depending on the lab and the extent of testing, but financial assistance may be available. However, consuming bottled water regularly puts another burden on the environment.
If a lab is DEP-certified then you can trust that the testing procedures meet EPA standards. Another bonus that you get by choosing a reverse osmosis system is that they will remove many other tap water impurities too, so they will even further improve your water quality. This is the way that I like to go when I test my home’s water for the presence of lead or any other contaminant. That’s because the results that you will get from these water samples will be so much more accurate and reliable. Many different ways lead can end up in your water service line and the water that you drink and ruin your water quality.
The kits are very easy to use, as it only requires taking a water sample and then placing the test strip into the water. Collect a second sample after the water has been running for about two minutes, after the first sample has been collected. This sample that will show if your header pipe is constructed of lead.
As per The Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has produced Maximum Contaminant Level Goals for lead in drinking water. The level is set at 0, because the Environmental Protection Agency deems lead to be harmful in the smallest amounts. Many experts suggest that parents get their child’s lead level tested at ages 1 and 2, and possibly more often, depending on the area of the country. You can do that, but be sure to check out the quality of the water before you buy. Some bottled waters are nothing more than tap water or have not been tested, says the CDC. It advises researching your brand at NSF International, a nonprofit water certification organization.
At-home water testing kits are a good option if you’re looking to get a basic understanding of your home’s water lead content, and they’re certainly convenient, taking just minutes to carry out. But if you want a proper indication of how clean or unclean your water is, you’ll want to consider additional tests, as these DIY kits aren’t the most comprehensive. If your results indicate low levels of lead, you should follow this up with lead testing from a certified lab. Steps taken during the last two decades have reduced exposures to lead in tap water.
Garage doors are rated according to the wind speed resistance they offer. Courtesy of Nu Code ShuttersOther valuable additions to your garage doors are wooden panels or storm shutters mounted on the outside. Depending on the hurricane intensity in your area, you can protect your windows by using high-impact or hurricane windows. You can learn more about hurricane-proof windows for your garage by reading our article explaining the differences between the two. If your garage has any windows, you should ensure they’re hurricane-proof.
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