Tap water may seem simple on the surface but zoom down to a microscopic level and you’ll find a lot more than hydrogen and oxygen. Water treated at local water facilities often contains a series of naturally occurring harmless chemicals, minerals, and sediments. Unfortunately, tap water may also have some level of potentially harmful substance contamination, including heavy metals — namely, lead. With increased public awareness about the dangers of aging infrastructure and news headlines of compromised municipal water sources, concerns about lead in drinking water are commonly raised in our local water experts’ consultations.
As concerns over safe water sources grow, we’re taking a deeper look into the essential nature of lead filters for workplace drinking water and why your organization might consider an advanced water filtration system moving forward.
Providing your valuable employees, guests, and customers with clean water that tastes great is a key factor in driving hydration throughout the workplace. This has been an increasingly important area of focus for organizations considering an estimated 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration, per a report from Forbes. Unfortunately, not all water is created equal. To achieve the highest drinking water quality at work, it’s up to organizations to monitor their local water supply and introduce solutions — such as top-tier water filters — that mitigate the risk of contaminants.
One of the key substances that a water filter is typically working to reduce is lead. But, you might be wondering what exactly that means. To answer this, we’re covering everything you need to know about lead and workplace drinking water — so organizations can better understand the importance of implementing strategies for lead reduction, as well as how to find the best water filter for your business.
Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal that, if ingested, can negatively affect nearly every organ in the body and the nervous system as well. It’s been used for thousands of years in a myriad of forms — some safer than others — due to its malleability and easy extraction. As far back as the Roman Empire, where the metal was used to make water pipes, lead has found its way into drinking water.
Image Courtesy of cleanwateraction.org
Lead in water most often comes from pipes, faucets, plumbing solder, fixtures, and fittings, especially those made before 1986. While lead water pipes have long been phased out, smaller lines that bring water into your home or office can be made of lead. Buildings without a lead service line can still face water contamination through brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and other fixtures that have been soldered with lead — as well as lead-lined tanks in water fountains. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and buildings constructed before, you guessed it, 1986.
Lead enters drinking water through a chemical reaction in lead-containing plumbing materials — corrosion — which wears away at the pipes or fixtures. This reaction becomes more severe in water that’s more acidic and has lower mineral concentration. Treatments to increase the pH of water, reduce its acidity, and make water less corrosive on its way through your faucet are just one of many steps taken to ensure a healthy, tasty water supply. The Safe Drinking Water Act, the US federal law protecting drinking water, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Lead and Copper Rule have set the standard for the maximum allowable lead content in an area’s water supply. Those standards and regulations are meant to ensure your local water supply maintains a safe level of lead in water ppm (parts per million).
Ideally, your drinking water will be free of lead — unfortunately, it’s safe to say organizations shouldn’t assume this is the case. The best way to guarantee your workplace water is safe to drink is to get it checked out by a professional. This contaminant is a silent threat that can easily go undetected since you can’t see, smell, or taste dissolved lead in water. Get in touch with Quench’s local water experts to confirm exactly what kind of local water you’re dealing with and how much lead is safe for your situation.
You can also check the list of certified laboratories available from your state or local drinking water authority. Those experts will be able to provide you with useful information, including whether the service connector used in your office building is made of lead.
Image Courtesy of cleanwateraction.org
Humans can become exposed to lead through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. There is value in understanding how much lead is safe from a health standpoint. Lead exposure can be dangerous even at low levels, especially among children, babies, fetuses, and pregnant people. Those at the highest risk, and the negative consequences they can experience, include:
Even the lowest levels of lead in drinking water can cause adverse health effects. Any amount less than .001 ppm is considered a safe level of lead in water ppm. If your water exceeds those limits, you’ll need to take action to ensure the safety of your employees that work in your building. The steps you’ll take to reduce the chances of ingesting lead will vary depending on the amount of lead detected in your water.
For organizations proactively working towards lead removal, there are a few steps you can take to reduce the risk of lead exposure at work. These best practices include:
Organizations are always intent on seeing employees succeed, and giving them access to clean water at work may be a more important element of organizational success than meets the eye. Whether employers are aware of this or not, proper hydration has far-reaching benefits for individuals — which is ultimately a boon to your organization
Implementing strategies to reduce lead in your workplace drinking water can lead to a number of workplace advantages including, but not limited to:
Quench Water Experts recommend filtered water dispensers with advanced carbon or reverse osmosis filtration for businesses worried about lead in their water. If your organization has been in search of the right dispenser and filtration system to reduce lead levels in your water supply — Quench can help. Our specific filtration methods are certified to reduce lead in drinking water.
Our filtered water dispensers are equipped with advanced carbon filtration and reverse osmosis (RO) filtration systems. If lead is your main concern, the Quench Water Experts recommend a carbon filter (like the P02800) that is certified by a 3rd party laboratory to reduce up to 99% of lead in your workplace drinking water . These carbon filters that make the dissolved lead adsorb on the carbon. Carbon filters can also remove microscopic impurities, and eliminate off-tastes and odors caused by chlorine, sulfides, and other chemicals as well. If lead is only part of the problem, we recommend a filtered water dispenser with built-in reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system. RO systems may reduce not just lead, but asbestos, copper, chromium, radium, pharmaceuticals, and more. With a carbon and reverse osmosis filtration system in place, your business can rest assured that your employees, guests, and customers have access to clean water year-round.
Did you know Quench has our very own branded RO water that is not only clean but delicious as well? It’s called quenchWATER+ and it’s offered with our Quench Q-Series filtered water dispensers, including the touchless Quench Q12. quenchWATER+ goes through 5 stages of filtration to safeguard your employees against contaminants and impurities. Even better, the RO water passes over compressed minerals in our Mineral+ filter to add back a blend of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and other healthy minerals to create electrolyte-enhanced alkaline water.
Quench Water Experts are here to make sure you’re choosing the safest and best-tasting water for your business. If you have lead concerns, we want to hear about them. Schedule an appointment with your local water expert today.
Quench Model P02800 1 Micron Lead Reduction Block is certified by IAPMO R&T, according to NSF/ANSI 42, 53, 372 and CSA B483.1, for reduction of lead, chlorine, taste, & odor, and lead free requirements. Quench machines are also certified by IAMPO R&T against NSF/ANSI 58, 372, and CSA B483.1 for material safety, structural integrity and lead free requirement. Assumes normal usage, regular preventive maintenance, and filter changes.