A lot of United States cities are facing serious problems regarding municipal water. The old and overused water pipes that cities are using for decades, and some even for hundreds of years, are becoming a real problem. The water running through them is getting contaminated because the pipes are very old and began to slowly fall apart. Of course, when we say fall apart, we actually mean that some dangerous chemical elements contained in them are now mixing with the water.
This water later gets to our faucets. Some people are used to drink tap water and they are not understanding how serious this problem is. Tap water in some American cities is already forbidden for use, and not only for drinking, but for cooking and showering too.
A lot of American cities are using lead pipes built before 1950. Back at the day, lead pipes were completely normal. Later, the city officials started investing in better pipes which have shown as a great move. Now enormous cities like Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are facing serious problems with old lead pipes. Scientists found extreme levels of lead in the water that runs through the faucets in people’s homes. How serious is this?
Well, high levels of lead in your body can cause death. Low level of lead is still dangerous, especially in children. The lead attacks the nervous system. Convulsions, organ failures, and other serious problems like getting into a coma are all possible. In adults, same symptoms may occur. The only difference is that adults can take more lead in their bodies and have fewer problems. This is because they have more mass, unlike children that will get harmed faster and easier.
Other cities in the states, like Brady in Texas, have radiation problems. Believe it or not, the water has radiation levels that are almost 10 times bigger than the maximum. Radiation can cause serious health problems, like cancer, kidney failures, and other issues. A total of almost 25 million people all over the state are facing radiation problems, with Brady being the most polluted area. People there are drinking and using strictly bottled water with the city officials having no idea how to solve the problem.
How big this problem is can show the fact that millions of homes are contaminated with municipality water because of old pipes or nearby factories producing waste that gets in the ground and mixes with drinking water. To solve this, city officials must dig out the old pipes and change them with new ones. This means tearing up half the city of Pittsburgh, for example. Spending billions of dollars all over the country will have to be made in order to fix this. Knowing how difficult it is to find enough money for social issues, chances are big this problem won’t be solved soon.
The solution is the city management to install proper water filtration and pipes that won’t allow any dangerous heavy metals, silt, eventual pesticides and insecticides that harm the health of the citizens. All dangerous chemicals must be prevented from getting into municipality water.
However, since this solution is impossible at the moment, everyone should find a faster solution. The solution available at the moment that will surely save you from buying tons of bottled water is buying new kitchen sinks and faucets and installing personal filtration systems. The filtration systems are almost the same that city water uses, only in smaller sizes. These can be installed directly into the home water system or on one particular faucet.
Very important part of this is to know that used faucets and sinks built-up bacteria and dangerous elements. They must be changed with new ones in order to eliminate the hazard. You can install a completely new filtration system, but when the water reaches your old faucet, the bacteria will still enter your body and the filtration system you installed would be futile. That’s why you must understand this must be done with a complete change of material.
You also must understand that this is a very serious problem. At first, you won’t notice any change. Even the water might not taste different than before. The toxins will still enter your body and contaminate the blood and the organs. Cancer is a very serious problem that eventually leads to death. If you have children, their life is in a serious risk from life-threatening problems and even the worst. Don’t underestimate tap water contamination and do everything in your power to solve it.
