Get the Lead Out: Safe Toys, Unsafe Water?

The news media has been screaming for weeks now about the issue with items manufactured in China containing unhealthy amounts of lead.  These items have been pulled from store shelves and retailers across the country have taken the hit in decreased sales on other items.  It's all part of the process to keep people, and especially our children, safe from the dangers of lead and lead poisoning.

Today I saw a television ad for a water purifier that hooks up to the water faucet in your home.  The announcer claimed that the purifier removed some incredibly high percentage of contaminants from the water...including lead.

Wait a second, I thought.  My tap water contains lead?  TAP WATER - the stuff the government tells us we're supposed to drink eight glasses of every day?  Where's the EPA on this one?  Why aren't they screaming at federal, state, and local levels to have these sources of lead removed from our water supply?

The EPA does set standards for what is considered acceptable levels of approximately 90 different contaminants, including lead.  If the water does not meet these standards, water suppliers cannot provide the water to their customers.  However, the EPA does state that people with compromised immune systems and children may have special needs, and that these levels could cause a problem.

For those who think bottled water is the answer, think again.  The EPA standards for bottled water are the same as for tap water.  And these days advertisers push the fact that their brands are "not touched by human hands" - in other words, not treated for any contaminants.  Again, just because water meets the EPA standard does not mean it is contaminant-free, and again, children can be at risk.

The EPA is concerned about toys with paint containing lead.  They probably feel that children will put these items into their mouths and ingest the lead.  But a toy only contains so much paint.  Even assuming the child eats all the paint off the item, the parent doesn't go back to the store to buy another one to replace it.  Yet our children drink water every day, absorbing whatever contaminants it contains into their bodies.  We can do without toys.  We cannot do without water.

Maybe that filter isn't such a bad idea after all.