We all know safe and clean water is essential for optimal human health. Not just this, it is also beneficial for home equipment. This is because when the water is safe and clean, it will cause damage to your human body and home equipment.
The truth is that tap water around the world is polluted with harmful contaminants like chemicals, sediment, heavy metals, etc. Today, we will talk about the presence of heavy metals and their scary dangers.
Heavy metals like lead, mercury, copper can be dangerous to humans. So, it is essential for everyone to get familiar with the dangers of consuming water that is polluted with heavy metals.
In this Frizzlife blog, we will be discussing the dangers of heavy metals in detail, along with the most reliable solutions to eliminate them.
Also, read our blog post about Why Does Drinking Tap Water Make You Sick
Major Sources of Heavy Metals in Tap Water
Before heading towards the dangers, you need to first understand how toxic heavy metals get their way into the tap water. Some of its major sources are as follows:
Natural ways:
Heavy metals get into tap water through natural deposits. They are present in soil and rock that make up the earth’s crust. And when the water comes into contact with soil and rocks, it dissolves the metals into it and carries them all the way to your home’s faucet.
Water supply pipelines:
Another source through which heavy metals get their way into tap water is the corrosion of water pipelines. According to American Infrastructure Report Card, water pipelines all over the US are around 45 years old. The report gave a “C” grade to American drinking water infrastructure. The grade indicates the water supply lines need proper attention and investment as well.
So, if your areas are also too old and loaded with corrosion, then there is a strong chance heavy metals like lead will dissolve into the water that flows throw those pipes.
Industrial wastage:
Harmful industrial processes like manufacturing, mining can also allow heavy metals to leach into the environment. And if they are treated after releasing into the environment, they will definitely end up dissolving into nearby water sources like rivers, lakes, wells, etc.
Agriculture runoff:
Fertilizers used by farmers in agriculture are often contain heavy metals like arsenic. And when farmers apply these fertilizers to the crops, the heavy metal gets into the soil and ends up getting into the water sources.
Scary Dangers of Heavy Metals in Tap Water
Damaged nervous system:
Consuming tap water that is contaminated with heavy metals can greatly damage the human body’s nervous system. Damaged nervous system starts with symptoms like tingling, muscle weakness, etc.
If necessary steps or medication are not taken even after experiencing these symptoms, then it can lead to paralysis or even death also.
Kidney problems:
Most of you may be familiar with the functioning of kidneys. They are responsible for filtering out waste from the blood. So, when providing kidneys with water containing heavy metals, it will cause them. This will result in lowering their filtering performance leading to kidney failure or other serious issues.
Risk of cancer:
Consuming heavy metals, especially Arsenic, for a prolonged period of time can increase the risk of cancer. The reason behind it is that exposure to arsenic damage the human body's DNA and other cellular components. This damage then leads to the production of cancer cells.
Effects on kids and pregnant women:
Exposure to heavy metals like lead and mercury can be extremely harmful to children and pregnant women. For children, heavy metals can lead to development issues, damaged learning abilities, rude behavior, and many more. For pregnant women, these can also cause fatigue, laziness, vomiting, and even damage to the baby.
Liver problems:
Using tap water polluted with heavy metals can also cause damage to the liver. And we all know the liver plays a crucial role in cleansing the blood of the human body. The heavy metals in the tap water will keep damaging the liver and end up failing it.
These are some of the scary dangers of drinking tap water that is polluted with heavy metals.
How to Efficiently Deal With Heavy Metals in Tap Water
Now you have understood the dangers of heavy metals, it is time to get familiar with different that you can use in order to eliminate the metals from the water.
Use an RO filter:
RO filters use a special semi-permeable membrane to eliminate heavy metals from the water efficiently. Using this filter will filter up to 99% of heavy metals.
Remember, this percentage does not only include just removal of toxic metals; instead, it also includes the elimination of harmful chemicals, sediment, minerals, pesticides, etc. This is why RO filters are considered the most popular type of water filter.
Use a distiller:
A water distiller works on the water distillation method – a popular water treatment method. This method removes heavy metals from the water by boiling it until it turns into steam. It then converts the steam back into the water. The provided water will not only be completely free from heavy metals but also from all kinds of impurities.
Add chemicals:
You can consider adding different chemicals to your tap water to bind the heavy metals. However, keep this in mind; using this method can be risky. Let us explain how.
This is so because you need to add a certain amount of chemicals to the water. Any up or down in the amount can result in bad effects.
Use different methods:
You can use a combination of the above-mentioned methods for maximum accuracy. For instance, you can use a water filter along with distillation treatment to ensure the heavy metals are effectively removed from the tap water.
Wrapping up
Tap water often contains a number of harmful contaminants, and heavy metals are one of them. These can cause serious health threats to humans. So, it is essential for everyone to get enough knowledge danger of heavy metals so that they can take necessary steps to avoid them.