Lead

Lead in drinking water is definitely a worrisome problem. Especially after the Flint water crisis in 2014, the problem with lead in water is taken seriously. Lead is a naturally neurotoxic element, and therefore, its existence in drinking water causes several health hazards to humans. As per the study by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 20% of lead is consumed by humans via drinking water. Therefore, it is essential to prevent lead in drinking water. Owing to the same concerns, EPA has limited lead quantity in drinking water to 15 parts per million. However, several of our clients are concerned about how to remove lead from water that is why Cannon Water Technology, Inc. offers custom solutions to remove lead from drinking water.

Potential Causes Lead in Drinking Water

The following are the sources of lead in drinking water.

• Faucets and Pipes: Lead is introduced in drinking water through faucets and pipelines used for transporting water to households. If the water is highly acidic, it reacts with the brass material of faucets and pipes. This chemical reaction of acidic elements in water with brass form leads to rusting. Therefore, rusted pipelines and faucets are recorded to inject about 0.25% of lead in water.
• Solder and Flux: The soldering and flux material used for plumbing and water fixtures contains lead if it is not RoHS compliant. Thus, it can be said that 0.20% of lead in water comes from solder and flux materials.

Along with these two sources, lead may come from well water, or natural water sources if the lead percentage is high in nearby sand composition.

Health Problems with Lead in Water

Regular consumption of lead-contaminated water can cause intense health problems to humans, especially children and people with weak immunity. Short-term or prolonged exposure to lead causes different health concerns, based on the type of exposure. The following are some health threats associated with consuming lead through the water.

• Health Problems of Short-term Over Exposure: Short-term overconsumption of lead causes the following health problems.
  • Lead poisoning
  • Abdominal pain
  • Nausea
  • Headache and lethargy
  • Skin tingling, irritation, and pain
  • Memory loss
• Health Problems of Prolonged Exposure: If lead is consistently consumed over a long time the following health problems are noticed.
  • Anemia, cognitive-behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and hearing problems are faced by children.
  • Pregnant ladies may suffer reduced growth of the fetus or premature birth.
  • Cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, hypertension, kidney failure, and concerns related to reproductive organs can be faced by both men and women in their adulthood.

To prevent lead in drinking water and health threats associated with it, Cannon Water Technology, Inc offers custom solutions for lead-free drinking water.

Common Solutions Offered by Cannon Water Technology to Remove Lead from Drinking Water

There are multiple ways of removing lead from water, however, considering the lead content limitations stated by the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we always recommend highly effective methods of lead filtration. The methods we opt for lead removal are listed below.

• Reverse Osmosis: Reverse osmosis is a technique in which water as a solution is forced to reverse flow through a semi-permeable membrane. With this procedure, the finest contaminations like dissolved lead can be easily filtered. Partial or complete reverse osmosis can potentially reduce up to 95% of lead contamination.
• Activated Carbon Filtration: Activated carbon filtration is an effective way of removing dissolved or minute mineral and chemical contaminations. In this method, water is filtered through activated carbon filters that attract sediments of lead with ease. We offer activated carbon cartridge filters and whole house filtration units for easy lead removal.
• Ionization: Radical ionization is the method to ionize and remove lead radicals from water. In this, an ionization solution like diatomite is injected into water. This triggers free radical ionization of lead resulting in the reduction of dissolved lead contamination.

Along with the listed methods, we also offer whole house filtration systems and backwashing filtration systems that can be integrated with activated carbon cartridges to reduce lead contamination from water. Through our solutions, we aim to reduce lead poisoning problems induced via drinking water. Thus, we offer custom lead removal solutions by combining the above-listed methods. In case of any queries about our lead removal solutions, please feel free to contact us at cds@cannonwater.com or call us at 916-315-2691. Our experts at Cannon Water Technology, Inc would be happy to assist you.