Posted on 01/30/2009 1:58:28 AM PST by neverdem
Lead concentrations spiked in many children living in the nation's capital after the local water authority altered the treatment used to disinfect drinking water.
About seven-and-a-half years ago, the District of Columbia’s water authority switched from chlorination to an alternative water-disinfection technology: chloramination. The goal had been to reduce the potentially carcinogenic by-products of chlorination that developed in drinking water. And the substitution worked.
However, an unintended consequence of this improved disinfection technique was the sudden release of copious amounts of lead into the drinking water that serves the nation’s capital. Until then, notes Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech, no one had realized that chlorine had been playing a role in binding substantial amounts of lead to the interior of plumbing pipes.
What resulted was a “lead crisis” that persisted for several years, until water engineers found a way to tame the chloramination process. However, despite local health officials’ claims to the contrary, District children were dosed with potentially dangerous amounts of lead, report Edwards and two colleagues from Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Environmental Science & Technology posted a new study by this team online today after some details about the findings were leaked this morning in the local paper — the Washington Post — and then mentioned by Edwards in passing, mid-morning, at an American Chemical Society briefing where Edwards was a featured speaker.
Plenty of data indicated what should happen when lead levels in water rise: Concentrations of lead in blood will spike among people drinking the tainted water — especially children. And since lead can poison the neurological development of children, permanently dropping IQs, this was a big concern to pediatricians and public-health officials.
Acknowledging concerns about the possibility of health risks, the local health department surveyed lead levels in children following the District’s...
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
The newer ‘eco-friendly’ water restricting appliances means the water sits in the pipes for longer compounding the problem.
NO offense, this if old news
Don’t use hot water from the tap for cooking
Run the cold water a few seconds to flush lead deposits
The above is prior to the realization that additives to the water supply brought lead into home water.
Leadless ‘solder’ had been the norm for many years (including the auto industry).
If this is newsworthy concerning our Nations Capital, we’re in deep crap
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FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Which explains our politicians. Bunch of mad hatters.
In the older neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. the tap lines off the mains in the street which run into the houses are gemerally made of lead.
When a house is renovated it is a requirement to replace that tap line with a different material.
Just in case some were wondering why some D.C. residents seema little dull.
The article said that chlorine was playing a part in binding lead to the pipes. The chlormination process released the lead to the water. It was in about the middle of the article.
“mad hatters.”
Mercury.
OOh, you are right. Thanks.
So that’s why the democrats sent free water to voters.
“The article said that chlorine was playing a part in binding lead to the pipes. The chlormination process released the lead to the water. It was in about the middle of the article.”
Which has what to do with my post?
This story has nothing to do with using hot water for drinking or failing to run water before drinking.
The new process actively released lead from the older plumbing systems. It is big news in any city with century-old homes. Unless you want to pay to replace all the plumbing in every older home, the water system has to work in a way to minimize harm to the residents.
Setting up a new water process without considering the impact on the residents is criminally negligent.
IT’S old news.
OLD
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