Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 This is because the EPA does not interpret the act of firing bullets into the soil or water as "discarding" lead -- just one of a number of loopholes that allow firing ranges to operate despite unlimited lead contamination.
Still, not everyone is convinced that lead bullets represent one of the biggest causes of lead contamination on the environment. Steve Williams, president of the Wildlife Management Institute, believes that the evidence is not conclusive. |
| Some of the best ways to prevent lead poisoning and exposing others to lead contamination include:
If you visit a firing range, wash your hair when you get home to remove lead particles.
Always wash your hands and face before eating.
Wear an air filtration mask while spending any time on the firing range.
Clear you sinuses by blowing your nose after using the firing range. Yoga practitioners often use a neti pot to wash the sinuses with salt water, but it's probably not likely that many people are both yoga practitioners and shooting range customers. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald
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 When a hair test is done once a year, you are going to find lead contamination if it is present."
Hair analysis can be a good indicator of exposure to other heavy metals as well. "Hair analysis, for a reasonable price, gives you 30 or more real facts about the levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, aluminum, and fluoride that have built up in your body. Everyone should know what toxic substances and physiologic minerals—chromium, selenium, boron—they're accumulating or are deficient in. We have very few tools that give us this kind of perspective," Dr. Kunin concludes. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
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 If you have young kids, are pregnant, or are thinking about pregnancy in the future, you'll want to test your tap water for lead contamination, since lead is especially dangerous and levels can vary enormously from house to house. A lead test costs about $25. Once you know what's in your water, you can find a filter that's geared toward getting rid of the specific pollutants, if any, that may be present. |
Donna Jackson Nakazawa
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 The lead contamination, the DEC suspected, probably extended to the ground under the used-car lot west of the site, which was as large as the lot at 858 East Ferry itself. Usually, the DEC would run more soil and water tests to determine if the surrounding area was affected, but the Superfund, as everyone knew, was bone dry. The property at 858 East Ferry could not be cleaned up until the state put more money in the Superfund, Locey informed residents. The DEC had no way of knowing if or when that might happen.
Afrika was incensed. "Now you're talking about doing more surveys," he said. |
Linda Mason Hunter
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 Some public water utilities regularly report that softened water is more prone to lead contamination than hard water is. "That's not true," says Jerry Tone, president of National Testing Labs in Cleveland, Ohio. Water that is naturally soft is prone to lead contamination because it is purer and thus attracts other ions. Softened water, on the other hand, is no more prone to lead contamination than hard water is.
ACTIVATED-CARBON FILTERS This is the least expensive water purification method. |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
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 Of particular concern today are herbal sources of lead contamination. Some herbs imported from China are not carefully checked before being placed on the market in this country, and some of these products may also contain mercury. American-made herbal products have not been implicated in this problem.
Strange as it may sound, indoor shooting ranges are a source of lead exposure. Lead bullets produce a vapor that can be absorbed through the lungs when discharged from a firearm. It is important to use only ranges that are well-ventilated. |
Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton
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 Adult men and postmenopausal women may not need supplemental iron, unless they have previous or existing raised exposure to lead contamination.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is one of the best-known antioxidant and free-radical scavengers around. This water-soluble vitamin plays a vital role in protecting our bodies from the continual damage chemicals inflict on it. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| Urban lead contamination of soil due to vehicle emissions can pose a direct health hazard to children, despite the phaseout of lead in gasoline in the United States beginning in 1975 (lead is still found in gasoline in other countries, including Great Britain). lead contamination may also be caused by industrial emissions. Both types of emissions can eventually settle to the ground and contaminate urban soils and, in some areas, even rival other sources of exposure, such as contact with crumbling lead-based paint. |
Marcia Zimmerman, C.N.
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 We tend to think that lead contamination is more likely to occur in heavily industrialized areas, but we must remember that lead particles are carried in air, rain, and groundwater, and can appear anywhere.
Lead paint is the most common source of lead contamination. Again, lead is no longer added to paint, but if you have an older house, and haven't painted it recendy, lead could be a problem. Lead solder may still be used in canned foods, especially those that are imported. Lead glazes are still used for pottery in some locations, and water pipes may also contain lead. |
Linda Mason Hunter
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| Water that is naturally soft is prone to lead contamination because it is purer and thus attracts other ions. Softened water, on the other hand, is no more prone to lead contamination than hard water is.
ACTIVATED-CARBON FILTERS This is the least expensive water purification method. It is especially good at removing pesticides, herbicides, industrial solvents, gasoline compounds, radon, and chlorine. Carbon filters are sometimes used by themselves but are also incorporated into distillers and reverse osmosis systems. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| Although our total lead exposure is considered much lower than it was a decade ago—since lead-based paints were banned, lead was removed from gasoline, and lead solder has largely disappeared from food cans—the relative importance of drinking water as a source of lead contamination has increased.
Unlike other pollutants, lead contamination of the water itself is not the significant problem, although lead from automobile or industrial emissions, when it falls to the ground, may sometimes contaminate surface water. |
| Urban lead contamination of soil due to vehicle emissions can pose a direct health hazard to children, despite the phaseout of lead in gasoline in the United States beginning in 1975 (lead is still found in gasoline in other countries, including Great Britain). lead contamination may also be caused by industrial emissions. Both types of emissions can eventually settle to the ground and contaminate urban soils and, in some areas, even rival other sources of exposure, such as contact with crumbling lead-based paint. |
Linda Mason Hunter
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| Experts regard this lead solder as the major cause of lead contamination of household water today.
Because newly installed solder dissolves easily, new home dwellers or those in older houses with recent repairs are particularly at risk. In these cases, lead levels can remain above the current federal standard of 20 ppb as long as 5 years after installation.
Find out if the connector from the water main to your house is lead. Look at the pipe coming into your house from the outside. This will be the pipe coming into the basement, if you have one. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| House dust, dirt, and garden soil in these areas have been found to have a very high lead content from airborne lead contamination.) Burning old painted wood can also lead to exposure. Children whose parents work in industries that use lead are also at higher risk for lead exposure, because their parents can bring home lead dust on their work clothes, shoes, hair, and skin.
Living by a heavily traveled highway also can increase exposure to lead. For many years, leaded gasoline was the major source of lead pollution in the air and soil. |
Dr. Cass Ingram
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 Because of the fact that inhalation is a major means of lead contamination, wearing a mask is a simple and effective method to prevent lead exposure in the event of a major urban disaster. |
Ronald L. Hoffman, M.D.
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 To test your water, call the water safety hotline of the Environmental Protection Agency (800-426-4791). lead contamination is most serious in areas with soft water, which tends to corrode pipes. Studies have shown that most lead is released the first time you turn on the tap in the early morning, or after it has not been used for six hours. Letting the tap run for three minutes to flush out the residue in the pipes will sharply reduce lead levels. Always use cold water for cooking and drinking. Hot tap water leaches more lead out of pipes. |
Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Lisa Y. Lefferts and Anne Witte Garland
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| In that case, the newer the home, the greater the risk of lead contamination. As time passes, mineral deposits form a coating on the inside of the pipes. But during the first five years, before the coating forms, water is in direct contact with the lead. What's more, even your faucet can contribute lead to your drinking water. Most faucets are made of chrome-plated brass, and brass contains anywhere from 3 to 8 percent lead. |
Earth RightH. Patricia Hynes
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| Consider these examples:
• The soil, roadways, and parking lots surrounding a ceramics industry are layered with lead contamination that has settled out from industrial air emissions. Rain washes the lead dust to collection basins and gutters that empty into an unlined industrial settling pond and an adjacent river. The lead dust on soil seeps with rain water deeper into the soil and reaches groundwater.
• A pesticide sprayed on a potato field leaves residue within the recharge area of a farm well. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| Unlike other pollutants, lead contamination of the water itself is not the significant problem, although lead from automobile or industrial emissions, when it falls to the ground, may sometimes contaminate surface water. Lead becomes a problem mainly as water passes through piping on the way to the sink. There are three main sources for this contamination: service pipes from water mains, leaded solder in plumbing, and brass faucets. |
Linda Mason Hunter
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| You have had your water tested for lead contamination.
ž The floor drain has been checked for sewer gas entering the house.
SAFETY (See pages 69, 80, 242.)
ž You have tested for radon and levels are below 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/1).
ž There is no asbestos, or it has been encapsulated.
ž There are a nonionizing smoke detector and a fire extinguisher here.
SECURITY (See page 254.)
ž All basement windows have bars.
ž Any outside hatchway or entry door is equipped with locks. STORAGE (See page 251. |
Earth RightH. Patricia Hynes
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| If either answer is yes, ask what the supplier is doing about the problem of lead contamination. In some cases, the water is treated to make it less corrosive. In others, water mains containing lead pipes and portions of lead service connections are replaced.
There are a number of commercial systems for the home to make water less corrosive or to remove lead (see Table 10.1 and the Resources section). |
Linda Mason Hunter
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| Softened water, on the other hand, is no more prone to lead contamination than hard water is.
ACTIVATED-CARBON FILTERS This is the least expensive water purification method. It is especially good at removing pesticides, herbicides, industrial solvents, gasoline compounds, radon, and chlorine. Carbon filters are sometimes used by themselves but are also incorporated into distillers and reverse osmosis systems. The use of an activated carbon filter in conjunction with a distiller will, in most cases, increase the filter's organic removal rate to over 90 percent. |
John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
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 Stanford Tackett, a chemist and expert on lead contamination, became alarmed about sludge on the basis of its lead content alone. "The use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer poses a more significant lead threat to the land than did the use of leaded gasoline," he says. "All sewage sludges contain elevated concentrations of lead due to the nature of the treatment process. . . . Lead is a highly toxic and cumulative poison. Lead poisoning can cause severe mental retardation or death. |
Marcia Zimmerman, C.N.
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| If you already have one installed, be sure to let the water that has been standing overnight clear the faucet before you fill your glass to avoid possible lead contamination.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a study conducted by a local environmental group found that home-filtered water may contain lead. The June 19, 1998, article reported that the lead levels detected in two water filtration systems exceeded the state level by sixty or seventy times. The problem was due to a design flaw that allowed water from under-sink filtration systems to stand in brass faucets. |
| Lead paint is the most common source of lead contamination. Again, lead is no longer added to paint, but if you have an older house, and haven't painted it recendy, lead could be a problem. Lead solder may still be used in canned foods, especially those that are imported. Lead glazes are still used for pottery in some locations, and water pipes may also contain lead.
Use of sludge for fertilizing crops can contribute significant levels of lead to the soil. The plants absorb it, as do the animals that eat the plants. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 Avoid dolomite and bone meal: These calcium supplies are poorly absorbed, and some sources have a history of lead contamination.
I recommend most adults and children take 500 to 1,000 milligrams daily of a good-quality calcium supplement. You'll probably need at least this much added to whatever calcium is in your diet, because dietary deficiencies are so common. Make sure to take a high-potency multivitamin that contains other vitamins and minerals needed to absorb and utilize calcium effectively. |
Elson M. Haas, M.D.
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 Copper pipes may add excess copper to our bodies, and often have lead solder lines, which adds to lead contamination. Fluoridation of water is also of concern to many people. Although no definite short-term dangers have been found to be associated with it, other than toxicity from excessive intake levels, the long-range effects of drinking fluoridated water are not yet known.
Most inorganic pollutants are safe at low concentrations, although lead and mercury can be neurotoxic, and nitrosamines are carcinogenic. |
| That involves awareness of increased lead contamination potential. The following are some ways to practice this prevention:
• Do not exercise along freeways or in heavy traffic.
• Do not allow children to play near busy streets.
• Do not store food in pottery.
• Avoid soldered cans, which are mostiy the tin cans.
• Evaluate for lead levels any questionable substances, such as water or bone meal, that are used regularly. |
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