BACKGROUND:
THE HEALTH Service Executive is working with local authorities on informing consumers of the health implications of high levels of lead in drinking water.
In advisory information being circulated to households in affected areas, the HSE says lead has been recognised as a significant health hazard for more than half a century.
Routes of exposure include food, water and air. In recent decades several steps have been taken to reduce exposure to lead. These include bans on lead in paint and in petrol, while the use of lead in plumbing was discontinued from about 1970.
The HSE says younger children and unborn babies are particularly vulnerable.
“Children aged less than six years and the unborn child are more vulnerable to adverse effects from exposure to lead,” it says, adding that “older children and adults are more resistant to harmful effects from lead exposure”.
While the HSE says only some of the lead ingested is absorbed by the body and “low levels of lead taken in over many years are not harmful to health”, it notes that “reducing human exposure to lead is an important public health goal”.
The current permissible concentration of lead in drinking water is 25 microgrammes a litre. This will be reduced to 10 microgrammes from December 2013.
The HSE advisory information also refers to World Health Organisation estimates that as much as 50 per cent of a person’s intake of lead comes from drinking water.
The usual sources of lead found in drinking water are lead pipe work, solder or fittings in the house plumbing, or in the service connections from the water mains.
WHAT TO DO: POISON ON TAP
The HSE offers the following advice for those whose water contains high concentrations of lead:
Drink water from the kitchen cold tap only. Do not drink water from the hot tap or from the bathroom.
Do not drink water that has been standing in the pipes for long periods, overnight or for more than six hours while no one has been at home. In these circumstances, fill a standard washing up bowl from the cold tap before drawing water for drinking or cooking.
Boiling water does not remove lead.
Regardless of lead levels in water, breastfeeding is safe and is the best way to feed babies.
If you have a lead pipe supplying your house, replace it.
For additional information see epa.ie or hse.ie
