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Health Alert - Lead In Water Pipes
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Source: Toronto Public Health Department
Get The Lead Out Of Your Tap Water
Was your house built before the mid-1950s?
If so, it may have lead pipes. This important health message is
for you.
• Lead can dissolve into your drinking water when the water
stands for more thana few hours in the pipe(or "service line")
that connects the underground watermain to your house.
• Lead has the most impact on the fetus, infants and children
under six years old, and can affect the brain and nervous system.
• Over the next several years, the City will be replacing the
part of your service line that goes up to your property line. To
permanently reduce lead in your drinking water, you can replace
your part of the pipe, which goes from your property line up to
your water meter.
Until your water service line is replaced,
protect your health by following these tips:
• Flush the pipes if your water has not been used for more
than a few hours. Do this by running the water until it is very
cold and then letting it run for at least one minute.
• When using tap water for cooking, drinking or making baby
formula, begin with cold water.
• Breastfeed your baby. The amount of lead in breast milk is
much lower than in tap water.
If you are pregnant, have a child under
six years old, or are feeding your baby formula made with tap water,
take the extra precautions listed below.
• Install an end-of-tap water filter certified by the National
Sanitation Foundation. Look for "NSF-53 for lead removal/reduction"
on the label.
• Until you have a filter, consider using bottled water for
drinking or mixing baby formula. You can also consider using ready-to-feed
formula.
For more information about water pipe replacement and rebates for
water filters, visit Toronto at toronto.ca/water/lead or call 311.
For more on lead and health, visit Toronto Public Health at: http://toronto.ca/health/lead
or call 416-338-7600.
Source: Toronto Public Health Department
See our complete selection of NSF-53 Certified Everpure water filter
systems and cartridges.
Read efilters.ca's official
press release on this issue.
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