Water filtration: A Remedy for 'Brain Poison'

In the summer of 1920, an anonymous author in The Spectator wrote, “Pure water is the best of gifts that man to man can bring....” The writer recognized a truth that is timeless and especially pressing today, when 884 million people in our global community still lack access to safe clear drinking water.

Water filtration systems, water disinfection treatments and proper sanitation are what one in eight people need worldwide to secure their health, states WaterAid, an international charity organization. Meeting this basic need is a key strategy in the fight to lift the impoverished to a better standard of living, the advocacy group believes.

While developed countries tend to think of unsafe water as a third-world problem, there are health concerns even in Europe, the United Kingdom and North America. Microbial contamination, the presence of pharmaceuticals, chlorine and other chemicals in drinking water, and toxic lead levels are leading issues on the public health agenda.

Lead poisoning is not a new issue. The Greek physician and herbalist Dioscorides, a surgeon in the Roman army in the first century A.D., recognized its toxicity and recorded his observation. “Lead makes the mind give way,” he said. Modern science is proving him right.

Filtration offers extra protection

In a study cited by World Bank, researchers concluded that children living in cities (who had higher lead saturation in their blood) had a four-point IQ deficit on average compared to children who were raised in suburbia or the countryside. A simple water filtration device in their homes and removal of other sources of environmental lead could help derail these consequences, making a healthier, more productive population.

In a lead-poisoning pamphlet published by The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the agency stated that elevated lead levels in children can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems and mental retardation. At very high levels, coma, seizures and death can result.

A four-year study involving more than 800 school boys in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh also concluded that there was a correlation between lead exposure – determined by lead levels in the boys’ leg bones – and the rate of delinquency, aggressive tendencies and other antisocial behavior, reported Jane E. Brody in a 1996 New York Times article.

‘Brain poison” and crime

“Lead is a brain poison that interferes with the ability to restrain impulses,” said Dr. Herbert L. Needleman, a pediatrician and psychiatrist who authored the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center study. “It's a life experience which gets into biology and increases a child's risk for doing bad things,” he concluded. Needleman’s award-winning work went on to initiate policy change in industry and at governmental levels.

In 1975, British researchers showed that Birmingham residents living near the junction of A38 and M6 had high levels of lead in their blood, causing increased concern for child development, said UK journalist Cherry Norton in an issue of The Independent. It took quite a few years to act, but finally the government enforced restrictions. “In January 2000, lead additives in petrol were banned completely, but (lead) is still widely present in water pipes,” she noted.

Utilizing lead solder in new plumbing used for drinking water or in food preparation is illegal, having been banned for more than 15 years in Wales and England. Lead solder in other pipe installations, however, is still permitted. If you are having plumbing work done, it is important that you work with a certified plumber. Voice your concerns about clean, lead-free drinking water and discuss installing a water filtration system under your kitchen sink. If you are buying an older house or flat, be sure to hire a reputable inspector to look the entire house over for health hazards before putting any money on the table.

Sources of lead contamination

Lead can be found in everything from ceramics and toys to the environment, where the toxic metal can leach into water systems from crop irrigation, agrochemicals, manufacturing runoff and leaded gasoline residue. It also can leach into drinking water from old lead water pipes, taps and lead soldering in plumbing joints. Private wells not monitored by water utilities can be a source of contamination, too.

If you suspect any lead exposure, you should test the offending items and get your water checked regularly. Seeing your doctor and installing a water filtration system are wise health precautions, as well.

There are many reputable water filter dealers with numerous products. Glacier Water Systems, an international filtration company, for instance, offers an affordable, compact undersink filter that uses granular activated carbon that has been impregnated with silver to remove bacteria, chlorine, lead and other contaminants. A larger wholehouse system can be installed in the home or at commercial sites to improve taste and reduce allergies and cancer risk.

Lead in a residential building or in your place of employment is a valid concern. According to the World Health Organization, lead is a metal that is a neurotoxin that can damage the nervous and reproductive systems, as well as the kidneys. It can induce anemia, interfere with the metabolism of calcium and Vitamin D, and has been linked to high blood pressure. It is particularly toxic to pregnant women, who risk premature labour and babies of low birth rate.

Kids at risk

Children are highly susceptible to the side effects of lead exposure, because their digestive systems and brains are still developing. Their immature digestive tracts make them prone to lead uptake.

“Children absorb up to 50 percent of lead taken into their bodies, compared to 10–15 percent in adults,” states UNICEF’s lead poisoning pamphlet. Children have a bigger surface-to-volume ratio, the literature explains, so proportionally they get up to three times the amount adults do in the same circumstances.

With increased publicity, public education and improved government regulations, lead poisonings are less common than they used to be, but are not a thing of the past in England.

“One English review which looked at hospital admissions over 15 years, three years' worth of mortality statistics and reports to the Health and Safety Executive found one death and 83 hospital admissions. The authors concluded that lead poisoning was rare, but when it did occur, it was associated with considerable morbidity,” writes Dr. Laurence Knott in an article for the online medical website Patient UK.

According to UNICEF, urban children in developing countries are at most risk. Fifteen years ago, more than 80 percent of children aged 3-5 were estimated to have elevated lead levels, and 100 percent of those under age 2 had blood levels exceeding the acceptable lead threshold of 10 micrograms per deciliter. This standard was set by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 1991.

Lead builds up in the body and has a cumulative effect over a period of time. Severe poisoning may be diagnosed from a blue line around the gums or by other acute symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramping, muscle weakness, vomiting and seizures.

Water filtration – an investment worth making

Those living in older homes should be particularly watchful and have their houses checked for lead. Britain’s Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has published the free leaflet, “Have You Got Lead Pipes?” which gives guidelines for investigating your living environment. Investing in a good drinking water filtration system will reduce health risks and give peace of mind – particularly for those raising children in the household.

“Investing in improving human capital – the brains of millions of our children – could be one of the best ways of enriching our future,” says pediatric lead expert Herbert Needleman.
 

To learn more about Glacier wholehouse or undersink water filtration systems, go to: www.glacierwatersystems.com

To learn more about lead, go to: http://www.leadagency.org/Facts.html