Lead Removal Drinking Water Systems
13% of Toronto homes find themselves with unsafe levels of lead in their tap water. An investigation done by The Toronto Star (published on May 20th 2014 by Robert Cribb & Matthew Cole) reports that an estimated 13% or 40,000 homes in Toronto have unsafe levels of lead in their tap water. 15,000 samples of tap water were taken between 2008 and 2014 and some were found with levels up to 2,000 times the acceptable level. The acceptable level is 10 ppb.
High Park, Lawrence Park, South Annex and other downtown areas are commonly affected. Lead pipes were used until the mid-1950’s, though lead was still used in solder until the 1990’s.
It costs an average of $3000.00 to have the lead pipes entering your home removed and traces can still be found in your water.
Lead can be treated easily, effectively and economically. A simple single stage filter can be used to remove the lead. A reverse osmosis system will remove the lead as well as chlorine taste and odor, cysts, tannins, nitrates and a host of other contaminants. These systems are easily placed under your kitchen sink and require very little maintenance.
A few words of caution, when purchasing a drinking water system always stick with a brand name. At some point you will need filters or possibly replacement part. Brand name products will always have filters, replacement parts as well as service technicians to offer onsite or simple over the phone services.
Links to the Toronto Star article: click here.
Leave a Reply