Superstorm Sandy Suspected Of Elevating Lead In Drinking Water

January 23, 2015- Unusual levels of lead have begun to appear in the drinking water in Brick, New Jersey.

One possible culprit is superstorm Sandy, the nation's deadliest and most destructive hurricane, which slammed into the Eastern Seaboard on October 31, 2012.

The Asbury Park Press (app.com) is reporting that, according to officials, an expert in lead contamination is expected to soon poke through the township’s water system, trying to determine how best to bring down dangerous levels discovered recently.

Here are the highlights of the post, "Lead Expert To Examine Brick’s Drinking Water":

• Despite the fact that recent tests of the water supply itself found negligible amounts of lead, in sixteen of thirty-four area homes the same water tested for having more lead than the maximum amount allowed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

• The EPA says that infants and children who drink lead-laced water could develop deficits in their learning abilities and attention spans. The EPA says that it is safe to drink lead in water up to 15 parts per billion. The Asbury Park Press notes that lead levels in homes that were over the limit ranged from 15.5 ppb to 184.5 ppb, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

• Michael Gochfeld, a clinical professor at Rutgers University’s Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, said a reading above 100 ppb is extremely rare. "Once you get past 25 (ppb) it almost doesn’t matter, the level is too high," says Gochfeld, quoted in the report.

• The Brick Municipal Utilities Authority suspects the pipes inside residents’ homes and is now contracting experts to examine its corrosion control methods to determine if there is a better additive that can be used to control the lead in household pipes and solder from loosening.

• Because the authority scored well in the lead tests in the past, experts wonder what changed in recent years to account for such elevated lead levels in the summer of 2014. One theory the authority is considering blames superstorm Sandy.

• Because so many people are still not back in their homes, the water supply became underutilized, hence the water supply’s acidity levels may have increased near the ends of the system. More acidic water would then eat away at the pipes and solder in the homes, according to the theory.

The Asbury Park Press post closes with a list of thoughts on "how to get the lead out":

1. Run water for at least 30 seconds if pipes have not been used for at least six hours.

2. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking and for making baby formula, as hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead.

3. Buy a lead test kit from a pharmacy or from a home improvement store.

4. Do not boil water as a way to get rid of lead, as water contaminated with the metal will likely only have a higher concentration of it.

Read the full app.com post here.

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