自来水里有铅吗?

Your drinking water may not be as safe as you think — especially if your home has lead plumbing. 腐蚀 家里的水管 and water-supply system can allow lead to leach into your tap water, exposing your family to potential health risks every time they take a drink.

了解自来水中铅的危害

Lead can affect family members differently depending on their age and development. Children and pregnant women are most at risk.

• 婴儿: 生理和心理能力的迟缓
• 孩子们: 大脑和神经系统受损, 行为和学习问题, 低智商, 听力问题, 生长迟缓和贫血
• 成人: 神经系统损伤, 高血压, 高血压, 肾脏问题和生殖问题

自来水中有铅的迹象

While lead poisoning can be hard to detect, especially early on, t在这里 are some 需要注意的症状 for that could be caused by lead in drinking water.

儿童铅中毒症状

• 腹部疼痛
• 便秘
• 发展迟缓
• 学习困难
• 乏力
• 易怒
• 食欲不振
• 听力丧失
• 癫痫发作
• 呕吐
• 减肥

成人铅中毒症状

• 腹部疼痛
• Difficulties with memory or concentration
• 头疼
• 高血压
• 关节和肌肉疼痛
• Miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women
• 情绪障碍
• 精子数量减少

测试自来水的铅含量

超过900万U.S. 家庭可能有含铅管道. You can't see, smell or taste lead, so how do you know if your water is contaminated? 答案是:定期测试. 如果你的房子建于1986年之前, t在这里 is a greater risk that your plumbing has lead-containing materials. 但是，不管你的房子有多老，美国人都不知道.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends 定期测试水质 如果它来自私人供水系统. Most public water systems test for contaminants annually. However, these tests reflect the water quality of the entire system, not individual homes.

If you use well water in your home, be sure to test for lead in water after the well is constructed. The water should be tested again periodically, especially when a child or pregnant woman is living in the home and drinking the water.

Testing kits are available at most home improvement stores. To get the best results, the EPA recommends sending your sample to a 你所在地区的认证实验室.

采取预防措施

如果你的水含铅呈阳性, t在这里 are things you can do to reduce risk in the short-term and long-term. 但首先, visit your doctor to make sure no one in your family has high levels of lead in their system.

这里有一些你可以在家里做的事情:

• Use the cold-water tap as it has lower levels of lead than warm water.
• Flush your pipes by running your tap for at least one minute until the water becomes cold if it hasn't been used for the last six hours.
• 更换含铅水管. According to the EPA, lead is a dull gray metal that can be easily scratched.
• 使用瓶装水或蒸馏水.
• Use a filter certified to remove lead from your water.

If you have questions about your drinking water, the EPA has a 安全饮用水资讯 page that includes an online contact form.