Common Risks Associated with Heavy Metals in Drinking Water

Contaminated water

Clean water is important for maintaining long-lasting, effective industrial machinery, such as cooling systems and circulating systems. High amounts of minerals in your water can build up on vital machinery components and even corrode expensive systems. But clean water is also important for your health and safety. Industrial water testing methods can identify pollutants, such as heavy metals, in your water supply.

Heavy metals, such as lead, copper, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic are famously bad for your body—the latter is a famous poison, after all. But did you know that you could be exposed to harmful amounts of these metals in your own water supply? These are some of the common risks associated with heavy metals in your drinking water.

An Overview of Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are metallic chemicals, such as lead, that are very dense. On the periodic table, these 17 metals have high atomic numbers or atomic weights when compared to other metals. They’re naturally occurring substances that can be found worldwide. However, most of them have no place in the human body, especially not at high levels.

While high amounts of any substance is bad for the body, even small traces of heavy metals like lead and copper are incredibly harmful to your health. While heavy metals may be found in some foods, such as brown rice or root vegetables, the most common way to consume heavy metals is in poorly regulated drinking water.

Residential and industrial testing companies often take extra care to identify heavy metals in public or private water supplies. Runoff from urbanization and changes in soil often introduce heavy metals to drinking water. However, certain industrial processes, including pollution and contamination, can also disperse heavy metals.

Deadly Reactions

Heavy metal chemicals are known to have several severe effects on the body. It has been shown to cause organ damage, cancers, nervous system damage, brain damage, and autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune disorders can themselves lead to kidney damage, joint inflammation, and so much more.

When untreated, these reactions can be deadly. The sad fact is that most heavy metals are tasteless, colorless, and odorless in drinking water. There have been many cases of people unknowingly consuming harmful drinking water on a regular basis. Sadly, industrial testing services are some of the only actions that can intervene and identify harmful water.

Water testing

Heavy Metals in Children

Heavy metals in drinking water can be particularly harmful to children. They can slow or alter the developmental process and even stunt growth. Children can develop difficulties with learning, memory, and certain motor functions. Sadly, the young are particularly prone to health consequences from drinking heavy metals. If children drink heavy metals for a long period of time, the damage to their bodies and minds may be irreversible.

How to Prevent Health Consequences

There’s one effective way to prevent health consequences from drinking heavy metals: Hire industrial water testing labs to take a sample of drinking water, evaluate it, and determine its content of dangerous substances. Then, they can help resolve these issues and potentially save lives.

Environmental Testing and Research Laboratories, Inc., offers industrial testing for your water supply. We use the latest equipment and technology, so nothing gets by us. Get in touch with us today to learn how to send a sample of water to our laboratory for evaluation and testing.

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