A Reuters news release last week gives us a glimpse of how far-reaching the problem of lead in our drinking water really is with the discovery that children across California show blood levels of lead up to 3 times higher than the safety standards allow. (*1)
Communities across the country are becoming alarmed at the high rates of lead contamination in their drinking water. Although Flint, MI may have become infamous for the egregious decisions that politicians made that put citizens at risk, the truth is that lead-tainted water is more common than most of us realized.
This comes after a December 2016 special report released by Reuters that included a map of over 100 "hot spots" across the US that tested for higher lead levels than in Flint, MI. (*2)
To say that this set off an alarm is an understatement.
There are many sources of lead contamination, and although great lengths have been taken in the past several decades to reduce lead exposure, serious contamination continues from lead in water pipes in municipals systems and homes built before the 1980's.
According to safeplumbing.org. there are a number of reasons why lead is still found in drinking water today including:
Advocates for safe water call for an investment in infrastructure that includes the elimination of "lead service lines" and replacement with lines that won't leach harmful contaminants. The EPA estimates the cost of accomplishing this at between $16 and $80 billion. Don't expect this to happen anytime soon. So what to do until then?
Well, you can do what millions of Americans do every single day all across the country and buy cases of bottled water in millions of plastic bottles. Not only does this create enormous waste but do you realize that regulations of bottled water are next to nil??? Do you really know what's in that water you are chugging? The answer may shock you.
(Don't get me started on the corporations who are raking in mega millions in the bottled water racket while local communities are left aghast that their local politicians signed the rights to their water sources away at sometimes greatly discounted prices. So while communities all across the nation struggle with water shortage, companies like Nestle are pumping millions of gallons of water out of our aquifers into plastic bottles and shipping them all over the world. I don't know about you, but this makes me angry. But that's another issue, I guess.)
Why not save yourself the trouble of lugging bottles and jugs from the store and filter the lead out??? There are a number of ways to do this. You can distill your water, get a reverse osmosis water system, or buy a variety of filters that can be installed on your counter top or under the counter.
There are advantages and disadvantages to certain methods. Low flow rates, high energy use and water waste are the downsides of of distillation and R/O. At Highwater Filters, we look for effective, efficient and affordable solutions for drinking water. Why pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars and hire professional installers when you can install a counter top system right on your faucet in a matter of just a few minutes? Or, if you have limited space on your counter and/or want to keep your filtering system out of sight (with peace of mind), you might choose an under counter model that may require some plumbing experience to install.
For a limited time, we are offering an additional 5% Off (See codes below) our already low prices on select systems for removing lead from drinking water.
Please visit our website to learn more and to purchase the New Wave 10-Stage Premium Water Filters (code 10STGDIS), Cuz'n inline water filter UC-200F(code CUCDIS), Cuz'n Bath Ball Tub Filter (code BBDIS) and the Cuz'n KR-101 (code KRDIS). You must use the codes at checkout to get your discount.
Please contact us if you have any questions or trouble choosing the right filter for you. We are happy to help! Email us at info@highwaterfilters.com or call 509-685-0933.
Thanks for stopping by!
Reference Links:
*2. Reuters Special Report: Unsafe at Any Level
*3. Lead in Plumbing (safeplumbing.org)
photo credit above: Reuters/Chris Wattie
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Last week's Supreme Court ruling (South Dakota v. Wayfair, No. 17-494) may change the way people shop. Large internet companies will now be compelled to charge sales tax on all internet sales in the U.S.
There's a silver lining in the decision. The ruling should encourage consumers to shop in local brick and mortar stores and to purchase from small internet stores like Highwater Filters.
Many people don't trust the water that comes out of their taps. Should they trust the water that comes out of plastic bottles? Not at all.
Nestle, Aquafina, Aqua, Dasani, Evian and other major brands are selling water that does not require testing. And it stands to reason that water sitting in plastic bottles can become contaminated with chemicals that leach from plastic. The sense of security that many consumers feel from bottled water is misguided. That water is not always what you might believe. In fact, more times than not, it isn't.