Is drinking water the only culprit in elevating blood lead levels?
No. The EPA estimates that only 10-20 percent of human exposure to lead may come from drinking water. The main sources of lead exposure are lead paint and soil, which can be ingested in chips and inhaled as lead dust, respectively. Soil can become and remain contaminated by lead paint chips or old emissions from leaded gas, which hang around until removed because lead does not break down naturally. What is the purpose of “flushing” water? The longer water has been sitting in contaminated pipes, the more lead it may contain. Flushing rids pipes of this water. The EPA advises that flushing is one of the most important ways to protect your family because most of the lead in our water comes from the pipes in our homes, not from the local water supply. What is the proper flushing procedure? At home, flush taps that have not been used for six hours or more by running cold water for one minute before using for drinking or cooking. School officials are reportedly handling flushing of water in
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