Drinking clean water goes beyond consuming water free of particles and germs; it is also about ensuring that the water is free of heavy metals like lead. It is, therefore, crucial to use lead filter for water. Often, people give less attention to this, probably because of little awareness about it.
Attention has always been drawn to ensure that our water is filtered to remove dirt and germs, yet, there’s another slow poison that needs to be considered as well — lead. When you consume lead-contaminated water, the lead may begin to build up in your body. In the end, you may be diagnosed with lead poisoning.
Even a minute quantity of lead can result in serious health problems. Lead can be fatal when consumed at a very high level. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that the water we drink is free from lead. Below are more reasons why you need to filter your water from lead:
Affect Mental And Physical Development In Children
When kids are exposed to consuming water contaminated with lead, their mental and physical development will be affected. It’ll affect their mental growth, and such kids will appear to be unintelligent among their peers. A research was conducted sometimes ago on kids in a school. It was observed that those kids are not doing well in their academics, and that raises suspicion. Why will almost all the kids in a school be slow learners?
At the end of the research, it was found that the school was constructed in a former dumping ground. Substances, including batteries, a significant source of lead, used to be dumped on the site. When the kids play around at school, they get their hands soiled and put the same hands in their mouths while eating. Indirectly, they’re consuming lead, and that explains why they couldn’t learn fast. Now you see how important it is to ensure that your kids don’t consume lead either in food or drinking water.
Besides affecting the mental and physical development of children, lead consumption can also result in several other things in children. Among those things are Irritability, Loss of appetite, Weight loss, Sluggishness and fatigue, Vomiting,
Abdominal pain, hearing loss, Constipation, and seizures. When consumed over time, lead can eventually attack the brain and central nervous system. It can result in a coma, and in a severe case, it can lead to death. Children are often more affected by lead poisoning than adults.
Its Neurological Effects Is Irreversible
As discussed earlier, lead attacks the central nervous system, and when it does, it affects the neurons and gradually the behavior of an individual. Unfortunately, it is believed that these effects can’t be reversed. For most illnesses, there’s a cure; what it is meant by irreversible in this context is that once a person is exposed to lead, its behavioral and neurological effects are believed to be incurable.
Affect Fetus
If a pregnant woman takes lead-contaminated water for long, and the lead begins to accumulate in her body, it may affect the unborn child. This can lead to a couple of adverse effects on the child. In a severe case, it may lead to miscarriage. However, if the fetus is lucky to survive, they might be born prematurely, have slowed growth, or lower birth weight.
It Also Affects The Adults
Children and Fetus are not the only ones affected by lead poisoning, but they are more vulnerable. Adults can be affected too. Some of the symptoms of lead poisoning in adults include high blood pressure, joint and muscle pain, headache, lack of concentration, difficulties with learning, abdominal pain, Reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm, and Mood disorders.
In pregnant women, lead can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature birth. There are a couple of ways in which the fetus can be poisoned through the lead consumed by the mother. When the mother is poisoned with lead, the lead will find its way into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, it can get to the fetus, and the fetus will be poisoned too.
For the male, lead poisoning can result in reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm, as discussed. With a low sperm count or deformed sperm cells, the likelihood of a male to impregnate a lady is low. Therefore, lead poisoning can render male infertile.
To avoid all these, all you need to do is to prevent lead consumption. One of the ways in which lead can be consumed is through the water. Hence, the need to filter your water so it can be lead-free.
