Is the Lead Water Crisis Impacting Your Community?

It’s hard to believe that the Flint water crisis started over two years ago. The media has taken hold of this predicament, informing the people of the United States that Flint, Michigan is actually quite a small problem in perspective to other states.

Some say it all began when Erin Brockovich ousted water suppliers of Flint, Michigan on her Facebook page. And soon, attention was brought to the city’s water issue and the people of Flint claimed Brockovich a hero. Brockovich’s Facebook page is still full of articles and call-outs to companies who have failed to fix their community’s water systems.

So, how did this happen? Most water companies are either failing to tell homeowners or placing the notice on the bottom of monthly water bills. Let’s be honest here—how many of you completely read through your water bill? Half of us look at the price and make a payment, while many of us simply pay online.

Wouldn’t you think that water companies would find it extremely important to notify homeowners that lead was poisoning their water? Shouldn’t owners be called or alerted with a door notice, or something that won’t be passed by? Perhaps if this idea were in motion, such outrageous “mistakes” like the following wouldn’t have happened.

Flint, Michigan was the first well-known affected lead area.

Out of 2,000 water systems in the U.S., 180 failed to notify their consumers of the high lead levels. How does a water company just forget to tell someone about the poison they’re indeed consuming? The worst part is that so many of these were school systems or daycares.

But the water companies want to share a different side of the story, straying blame away from their mistake. Lead actually does not come directly from the water plant. In fact, the majority of homes built before 1980 actually have some lead within the plumbing system.  It’s stated that over 7 million homes in the US have lead plumbing lines or solder joints that cause lead to leak through.

Corrosive water also causes lead to leak through. Water treatment plants add anti-corrosion chemicals to help the situation, but by then, it’s already too late. Lead has already leaked through, and anti-corrosion chemicals cannot dissipate the lead entirely. Lead levels are only reduced. In many cases, treatment plants are unable to feed anti-corrosion chemicals to all water lines because it is too expensive.

About 70 of the water systems that failed to notify their consumers served at least 10,000 people. That’s each water system serving at least 10,000 people! That’s 700,000 people at the very least. But facts show you that many more have been affected.

An engineer checks the quality of water at a treatment plant.

To put into perspective, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, 315,000 individuals were served; Passaic Valley in New Jersey: 315,000; Bangor Water District, Maine: 28,000.

The saddest part is that some of these water companies have known for years that certain lines contain lead. A Navajo Reservation church wasn’t aware of lead-contaminated faucet until 3 years later after the discovery.

Erin Brockovich has received numerous letters from individuals across the U.S., claiming water issues in their community. After receiving all of these letters about contaminated water lines, Brockovich started pin-pointing these locations out on a map, leaving a devastating picture. There are over 10,000 communities out there with contaminated water supplies… and think—these contaminated water supplies are only the ones Erin Brockovich has heard of directly.

There are more affect communities than just the one’s we’ve heard about.

Water towers store and often supply water to towns across the U.S.

The scary part is that it could be your community.

We urge you to test your water supply. If you live in a home built before the 1980s, it’s extremely important to check your area of residence for lead-based paint or plumbing systems. There’s a great risk involved with lead, and if you don’t take action, these effects can worsen beyond infection. These risks may impact your entire way of life, limiting your daily activities.

Call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (1-800-424-5323) for any questions.

If you or a loved one has become affected by lead, please call Dr. John Trowbridge’s office for a free consultation. Dr. Trowbridge is an expert in chelation therapy, a non-surgical treatment that dramatically reduces your body’s harmful toxins and chemicals—including LEAD!

Please take all precautions provided and do your best to keep your home a safe and livable area! If you have any further questions, please contact Dr. Trowbridge and dial1-800-FIX-PAIN (1-800-349-7246).

Check your water supply and if your home has lead-based pipes.