Avoid Health Hazards from Decaying Municipal Water Pipes

Water is one of the most important components that must be present when it comes to the sustenance of human life. The capacity to provide densely populated areas with copious amounts of potable water while simultaneously and safely removing waste products such as sewage and wastewater has been essential to the development of urban civilization. Numerous municipalities have been delivering potable water to residents of their communities through the plumbing of their homes for such a significant amount of time that the infrastructure is starting to deteriorate. That is a substantial problem for the community, but it also has the potential to create health issues for you and the people who are a part of your family.

Aging Pipes Mean Bad News

To begin, it is essential to have a solid understanding that the water produced by the plumbing in your home is almost always suitable for human consumption. The water provided by the municipality is put through rigorous testing and is governed by standards that are much more stringent than those that govern the water sold in bottles. Regrettably, while traveling from the treatment plant to your home’s faucet, the water may become tainted with contaminants in highly unusual instances.

It is possible to find pieces of main water pipes that date back to the 1820s in certain older cities. Even while the majority of it is a little young, the government needs to catch up on implementing the necessary new infrastructure. According to research published in 2013 by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the cost of bringing the nation’s water mains up by 2020 would be a cool $126 billion. However, it is anticipated that $42 billion worth of work will be completed. This may have a detrimental impact on the quality of the drinking water you have access to in the years to come.

From Water Mains to Your Household Plumbing

‘Aging pipes can collapse, leach toxins into the water they transport, and breed germs, all of which are potential prescriptions for sickness,’ states a paper issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). A broken water main, often a high-profile occurrence resulting in city streets’ flooding, is the symptom of aging infrastructure most evident to the human eye. This is because flooding city streets results from broken water mains. If they are not managed properly, they also pose a health danger since germs and other contaminants can be sucked into the system through the break and end up in your home’s plumbing. However, this only happens if the break is handled correctly.

Rust is another potential effect that can arise as a result of water mains. Rust, even though it can cause the water to become discolored and have an unpleasant taste, is not a health hazard in and of itself, according to the Berkeley Wellness Center. The only possible exception would be people with the extremely rare iron-related disorder known as hemochromatosis. On the other hand, if lead were to find its way into the water supply, you would have a far more serious problem.

Protect Yourself and Your Family

At this juncture, the question is, “If you are concerned about contaminants from the municipal water supply making their way into your home’s plumbing, what options are available to you?” The first thing that needs to be done is an analysis of the water to determine whether or not it is safe for human consumption. The results of this test will determine what steps need to be taken next. You can get testing kits from the local hardware store or hire a plumber to do a more in-depth inspection. Either way, you should test your plumbing regularly. In either case, you will be able to figure out whether or not there is a problem with the plumbing in your home. If the water in your house is tainted in any way, you should seriously consider having a water filtration system installed in your house. Because of this, any particles that make their way into the water supply won’t be able to enter your home through the faucets because they won’t be in the water when you turn on the faucets.