Is Your Family Drinking Unsafe Levels of Heavy Metals?
Heavy metal is excellent if we’re talking about Metallica. But if we’re talking arsenic and mercury in your drinking water, not quite as excellent.
Here’s why.
Kids are more prone to the negative effects of heavy metals than adults. Young immune systems are still developing and can’t deal with the damage as well as an adult immune system. Childhood exposure to some metals, like mercury or arsenic, can result in:
- Learning impairments
- Memory difficulties
- Damage to the nervous system
- Aggressiveness
- Hyperactivity
- Other irreversible brain damage
Why are heavy metals in the water supply?
With increased urbanization and industrialization come increased levels of heavy metals in our waterways. Some metals occur naturally in unsafe levels as well.
Arsenic in your drinking water.
Arsenic is one of the most damaging chemicals in the global water supply. It’s common in nature, and even more common when concentrated through mining and other similar human activities.
Most municipal water supplies recognize arsenic-safe levels at 10 parts per billion. However, evidence shows even at 10 parts per billion, arsenic makes it difficult for pregnant and nursing mice to produce the fats necessary to nourish their children. Arsenic at a concentration of 10 parts per billion may also induce cancer formation in prostate cells (and if you drink that arsenic laced water from a plastic bottle, with chemicals that mimic estrogen, you’re even more likely to develop cancer cells).
What about mercury in my drinking water?
We’re uncertain if there is any safe level for mercury consumption. High exposure to mercury can result in brain damage and death.
Even at levels below the somewhat arbitrary limit of fifty micrograms per gram, people can experience loss of colour vision, loss of contrast sensitivity and peripheral vision. Kids exposed to even low levels of mercury as babies are more likely to suffer from ADHD.
Our bodies contain bacteria that can amplify the negative potency of any mercury we ingest, so even minor exposure to mercury might be extremely hazardous.
With the possibility that water safety standards are inadequate, you need to take whatever steps you can to protect yourself and your family, especially if you live anywhere near a mining or similar operation.
An Everpure residential water filtration system will keep any trace heavy metals from getting into your glass of water. Contact a member of our team today to discover the best system to protect your family.