lead levels in water

Re: lead levels in water

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:13:01 GMT

[quote user="Dagmar Steele"]knowing my landlord he wouldn't have replaced anything if not forced strongly and the house is quite old.[/quote] And I thought that Germans were sticklers for correctness. I guess landlords are the same the world over and the housing market's equivalent of dog breeders! I've had a case of a cat which used to drink from a drain and suffered heavy metal poisoning. We assumed it was lead but turned out to be cadmium. The houses were built on the site of an old MOD manufacturing facility and we assumed it came up with the groundwater. The cat got better when the drain was covered and there no other cases on the site. This does little to answer the OP but I guess you can always test for serum lead levels to see if there is a problem.

Re: lead levels in water

Dagmar Steele — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:45:46 GMT

If I'm not completely mistaken in Germany it is mandatory to remove and replace all lead piping, at least if you're a landlord. The potential health hazard caused by continuous intake of tiny lead amounts has been considered too much to just leave it. My personal experience is that I've been wondering about my increasing stomach aches since I'd moved premises. They always went away when I didn't work (holidays, weekends) and came back the next week. I first put them down to stress but then realised I always used the water from the kitchen tap to make my tea, a tap not used for much more in contrast to the ones in the consulting rooms (I'm the only one drinking tea or coffee). After using bottled water the problem stopped immediately. I never had the water tested so I don't know what the issue was, but knowing my landlord he wouldn't have replaced anything if not forced strongly and the house is quite old.

Re: lead levels in water

James Laidlaw — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:32:34 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

[quote user="Tim Browning"]perhaps it should stick to a hot tin roof only.[/quote]

I hope it doesn't stick!

Seriously folks the Romans used lead for everything including vats for brewing wine and vinegar.

[/quote]

Well, I don't see any Romans around these parts...

Re: lead levels in water

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:24:49 GMT

[quote user="Rob Davis"]

The house I grew up in still had lead plumbing and I'm still here!

[/quote]

My understanding is that lead in mains water is only significant where the water is very soft, and then only when the water is standing in the pipes. In some parts it used to be customary to draw off a bucket of water in the morning before filling the kettle from the tap.

I still have lead piping outside, dating from 1837 I believe.

Re: lead levels in water

Rob Davis — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:14:16 GMT

The house I grew up in still had lead plumbing and I'm still here!

Re: lead levels in water

CatherineThomas — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:36:46 GMT

It is a 13 year old cat which we have just recently diagnosed with CRI. I guess that he has been drinking this water for a long time. I think the owner has just started thinking about it because he has just been started on the renal diet and have been told he must be fed the prescription diet exclusively. And she was wondering if the lead could have affected his kidneys.

Re: lead levels in water

Kate Richardson — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:48:45 GMT

I assume this is an older cat as it has CRI? In which case I also assume it has been drinking this water for some time? And it hasn't died yet....

Re: lead levels in water

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:43:15 GMT

[quote user="Tim Browning"]perhaps it should stick to a hot tin roof only.[/quote]

I hope it doesn't stick!

Seriously folks the Romans used lead for everything including vats for brewing wine and vinegar.

Re: lead levels in water

Tim Browning — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:10:02 GMT

Well they say that was one of the reasons the Romans declined and fell (lead plumbing, the clue is in the word) so I wouldn't advise it , perhaps it should stick to a hot tin roof only.

Re: lead levels in water

Michael Woodhouse — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:08:53 GMT

Lead exposed to the air rapidly oxidises and forms a protective shield. The cat should be fine, as we were drinking water from lead pipes (some still do).

So long as not chewing lead almost zero risk.