You may wonder how heavy metals get into drinking water
The numbers show: Millions of Americans are exposed to heavy metals through drinking water every day, and arsenic has been detected in the water utility that serves 108 million Americans. During the same period, cadmium and inorganic mercury were found in water utilities serving 7 million and 6.3 million people, respectively. There are many other discoveries that we can imagine, and we will not list them here. But that leaves us with a key question: How did these elements get into drinking water in the first place?


Even if water is free of heavy metals at source, it can become contaminated after we access it, such as on its way to a tap. Household plumbing and service lines, mining operations, oil refineries, electronics manufacturers, municipal waste disposal, etc. Heavy metals can contaminate private wells through groundwater movement and surface water seepage and runoff.


Long-term drinking of water with these impurities poses a major health hazard. Let's understand bioaccumulation, which refers to the gradual accumulation of chemicals, such as metals, in living organisms over time. Essentially, an organism absorbs a chemical faster than the organism can excrete it, or the organism cannot fully metabolize (break down) what it ingests.


We are all susceptible to bioaccumulation through consumption of contaminated aquatic organisms or exposure to heavy metals in food, air or water. In addition to being bioaccumulative, heavy metals do not biodegrade, meaning they can persist in our bodies for long periods of time without breaking down.


Metals are all around us. They are in the air, soil, food, water, and even our bodies. While many of these metals are essential to our health in small doses, repeated exposure can cause them to build up in our bodies through bioaccumulation.


As dire as these health effects may seem, there are some easy ways to determine if any heavy metals or other contaminants are lurking in your drinking water.


As we mentioned earlier, lead isn't the only heavy metal that tap water can contain. It can also contain other heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and copper, as well as environmental pollutants such as drugs, herbicides and pesticides. It can also be contaminated with toxic chemicals like PFAS, chlorine and chloramines.


You can find out what specific pollutants are in your water by searching online for water quality reports in your area or by contacting your local government. You can also purchase a water quality testing kit and have your water assessed for contamination by a certified laboratory. Then you need to find a reliable Refrigerator Water Filter Replacement, w10295370a filter that removes heavy metals and other contaminants that could negatively affect your health or the taste of your water.


Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the body can lead to a variety of adverse health problems, including cancer, diabetes, neurological problems and nerve damage. Fortunately, it's easy to determine if your tap water contains these contaminants. You can check a recent water quality report for contamination, or send a sample of your tap water to a certified laboratory for testing.


Regardless, we recommend installing w10413645a filter to remove heavy metals and thus protect you and your family from any dangers heavy metals may pose.


To learn more about how filters can remove heavy metals and other contaminants from water and reduce the risk of bioaccumulation, PZfilters of water experts is here to help.