Sunday, January 2, 2011

Lead in my drinking water?

I just received a letter from the West View Water Authority, which serves the area where I live in the North Hills. The letter states that "The Municipal Authority of West View found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings. Lead can cause serious health problems". The letter go on to explain the various health problems associated with ingesting lead, including kidney and brain damage.

The letter is very vague about specific levels and the cause, explaining that lead is not present at their water source, but explains that lead can come from very old plumbing or fixtures that contain lead. While they never discuss it, I would be willing to bet that the infrastructure of our water distribution system is a lot older than the plumbing in most of our homes!