The Health Effects of Lead in Drinking Water

Drinking tap water is convenient and economical, however, it also comes with a downside - the possibility of lead contamination. Just recently, the city of Flint in the US state of Michigan was faced with serious water contamination problems due to the leaching of this toxic heavy metal, exposing thousands of people to high levels of it and resulting in the ongoing health problems the city is dealing with. Although this may be an extreme case, lead can easily find its way into the water you drink, and there are several reasons why you wouldn't want it to end up there. Allow us to inform you on the matter:

First of all, what is lead and where is it found?
Lead is an element, which means it does not break down into less harmful substances. Despite its poisoning effects, its presence cannot be picked up by our senses. However, it is surprisingly found in a number of objects and materials that may be present in your home. Common sources include:

    House paint from before 1978
    Metal pipes and sink faucets
    Paint sets and art supplies
    Jewelry and pottery
    Storage batteries
    Kohl or kajol eyeliners
    Soil polluted by car exhaust fumes, outdated pesticides or chipping house paint

How does it enter our water supply?

Considering lead sources like metal pipes, soil and house paint, it's easy to understand how such an element could end up in your water. The chances of this happening are higher if you live in an area where the soil is contaminated by lead due to pesticide use in previous decades, or if you live in an old house that has old pipes, fixtures, or paint. Although laws in many countries now restrict the use of these materials, they could still be present in some homes.

Another contributor to lead leaching into a water supply is water corrosivity. The use of soft water, which is water that is low in dissolved solids like calcium and magnesium, as well as warm water, both increase the risk of lead corrosion. This kind of problem is common in Pennsylvania, where 65% of water samples tested were found to be potentially corrosive.

If the municipal water supply in your town and your plumbing system at home do not incorporate lead pipes, lead solder or brass fixtures, you probably shouldn't worry about dangerous lead levels in your water. You might want to contact your water company to inquire about this, or get your tap water tested to determine whether it's safe to drink or not.

What are the health effects?

First of all, the presence of lead in drinking water is never a good sign, even if this is found at low levels. In fact, EPA has set its maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) at zero, since even as little as 5 micrograms per deciliter in the blood can signify lead poisoning, which is a huge threat to our health. Lead is a persistent element that can accumulate in the body over time, leading to serious health issues, especially in young children.

Note that lead can only have adverse effects on your body if it is ingested. This means that using water containing the presence of lead for bathing is safe for you and your children.

Here are some of its health effects:

1. It can damage brain development in children.

Lead is toxic enough to hinder brain development if sufficient amounts of it are ingested. Erik Olson, director of the health and environmental program at the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), says that this could have an alarming effect on children exposed to it, as they may begin to exhibit unusual behavior.

Low IQ levels, poor learning abilities, stunted growth, hearing problems and anemia could all be signs of lead exposure in children. In extreme cases, there have been occurrences of seizures, comas, and even deaths.

2. Lead accumulates in your bones and can stay in your body for years.

If you're exposed to lead, chances are you'll have it lingering in your system for the rest of your life. Of course, this exposes you to an increased risk of cancer, stroke, memory problems, kidney disease, and high blood pressure. One place where it is bound to gather is in your bones, from where it can possibly be released over time due to stress or even pregnancy.

With the above being said, a pregnant mother that has previously been exposed to excessive levels of lead may transfer any lead lingering in her bones to her unborn baby as maternal calcium. This can result in developmental problems, such as a premature birth or stunted growth.

3. It triggers violent crime.

Although it might sound far-fetched, lead exposure has actually been linked with increased incidences of vital crime. Children who are exposed to excessive levels of lead have an increased likelihood of committing a crime when they reach adulthood. According to Erik Olson, some of the crime we are faced with today could be a consequence of the lack of lead regulations from three decades ago.

4. Its exposure may be asymptomatic for years.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, the health effects of lead aren't all identified yet. This is due to the fact that the effects could remain asymptomatic for a very long time. While lead has been shown to increase the risk of certain diseases (as previously mentioned), it could also trigger vague symptoms that include fatigue, impotence, and cardiovascular issues such as hypertension. Of course, these depend on factors such as age, diet, and weight. Basically, lead can cause trouble in every single organ in your body, and may intensify any problems that were already present.

5. You can suffer from lead poisoning.

If you've been exposed to lead for an extended period of time, it will gradually build up in your body, putting you at an increased risk of lead poisoning. Note that it is highly unlikely for this to happen after just a single event of lead ingestion. The signs of lead toxicity may include:

    Abdominal pain or cramps
    Aggressive behavior
    Constipation
    Sleep problems
    Headaches
    Irritability
    Fatigue
    Numbness or tingling in the extremities
    High blood pressure
    Memory loss
    Anemia
    Kidney dysfunction

In severe cases, these emergency symptoms may also be present:

    Vomiting
    Muscle weakness
    Stumbling when walking
    Seizures
    Coma
    Encephalopathy, which manifests as confusion, coma and, seizures

In the event that you experience these symptoms, you should call your local health department to learn about how to remove the lead and how to prevent the effects of its toxicity. If the person is severely poisoned, a treatment known as chelation therapy would probably be recommended to remove the lead as efficiently as possible.

How can I prevent lead exposure?

There are some measures you should take to avoid lead exposure as much as possible. Here are some tips:

    Avoid painted toys and canned goods from foreign countries.
    Keep your home as clear of dust as possible.
    Use cold instead of warm water when preparing meals and drinks.
    Encourage family members to wash their hands before eating.
 
Get your water tested for lead levels. If they are high, consider using a filtering device, or switching to bottled water.
    Make sure you get your faucets and aerators cleaned regularly.
    Clean children's toys and bottles regularly.
    Use lead-free paint in your home.
    Get your children screened for blood lead levels.
    Stay away from areas where lead-based paint may have been used.
    Follow the EPA's guide on how you can protect your family from lead exposures.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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11 Cancer Causing Drinks You Need to Avoid

Cancer is one of the scariest diseases out there because as far as we have come in treating it, the cancer still wins a lot of the time. And the treatment itself is absolutely brutal, leaving behind painful side effects even if the disease is wiped out.

Prevention, therefore, is a big deal. We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of developing cancer, even as we understand that sometimes it just happens.
You probably know about the importance of healthy food when it comes to cancer prevention. But what is less talked about is the role that beverages can play.
Certain drinks can up your risk as well and are better off avoided. You will be surprised by some of these!

1. Tap Water

The water infrastructure in the United States is aging and not being repaired in a timely fashion. Instead, the government encourages the use of toxic chemicals to “clean up” harmful biological contaminants. One commonly used chemical is chlorine, but it is less scary by far than some of the other things that have been found in our tap water.

For example, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a disinfection byproduct found to be 1,000 times more toxic than chlorine. The Environmental Working Group is a watchdog agency that tests the foods and drinks we commonly consume.

It found probable human carcinogens in every sample of tap water tested across 43 states. That puts the cost of a water filtration pitcher into perspective, huh?

2. Bottled Water

First of all, the water in bottled water may actually be from a municipal source no matter how pretty the picture of a mountain stream on the label.
But the most harmful element of bottled water is the bottle itself. Not only is discarded plastic an environmental disaster, it also leaches dangerous chemicals into whatever it touches.
One notable example is bisphenol-A or BPA. This chemical is used in many plastic water bottles despite the fact this it is a known hormone disruptor that increases the risk for prostate and breast cancer as well as metabolic disorders.

3. Alcohol

Drinking to excess has a number of health consequences, not the least of which is cancer. Numerous studies point to the link between alcohol and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, liver, colon, and breast.
And though many consider red wine to be healthy due to its antioxidant content, it still contains ethanol. Ethanol is the primary trigger for cancer found in alcoholic beverages. The CDC recommends no more than one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.

4. Energy Drinks

Energy drinks may make you feel invincible for a few hours, but they are doing steady damage inside your body. For one thing, they are made primarily of sugar, caffeine, and artificial dyes, which can spike your blood pressure and blood sugar at the same time.

People have died from drinking too many energy drinks, especially of heart problems and seizures. Anything that weakens the systems inside your body can leave the door open for cancer. Plus, sugar is cancer’s favorite food and too many energy drinks leave a lot of it available to feed those killer cells.

5. Regular Soda

There is a lot wrong with soda – it has no redeeming health value at all. Like energy drinks, it contains a ton of sugar, caffeine, and artificial ingredients. One of those chemical additives is a colorant called 4-MeI. It gives cola its brown color, but is also a known carcinogen.
Regulations on the use of 4-Mel differ from place to place, but California at least requires that it be labeled as potentially cancer-causing on all food products that contain it.

6. Diet Soda

Diet soda has little to no “real” sugar, but instead contains a sugar substitute like sucralose, saccharin, or aspartame.
These fake sugars are known to mess with your body’s metabolic processes, cause more fat to be stored, and potentially lead to diabetes and heart disease. They are also linked to cancers of the bladder and entire urinary tract.

7. Very Hot Drinks

Here’s one that you probably naturally avoid, but the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, the IARC, has suggested that drinking very hot beverages can lead to throat cancer.

To qualify, the drink must be at least 149 degrees Fahrenheit, and most people don’t enjoy their tea, coffee, or hot chocolate that scalding.
The research centers primarily around a beverage called mate that is traditionally drunk at very hot temperatures in Asia, South America, and Africa. There is little risk from your standard hot beverage, but we do advise that you be patient while it cools to a safe temp – don’t take a big swig until you’re sure.

8. Fancy Coffee Drinks

Coffee in general is antioxidant and nutrient rich and offers some prevention against cancer. Unfortunately, some coffee-based beverages are more sugar and cream than actual coffee. Adding a bunch of syrup, chocolate, caramel, or whipped cream to your java pretty much undoes all the advantages you may have started with.

For example, a 20-ounce white chocolate mocha, made with whole milk and topped with whipped cream, delivers a gut-busting 580 calories and 26 grams of fat. Regular consumption of rich coffee drinks can lead to obesity and diabetes on the way to cancer.

9. Juice & Juice Drinks

“Juicing” is thought to be a healthy thing, and it can deliver some critical vitamins and minerals. However, much of the nutrition in whole fruits and vegetables is in the fiber (pulp) and skin.

When you remove those, not only do you lose important nutrition, you also tend to consume a lot more because it’s the fiber that helps you feel full. Plus, fiber slows absorption so that your blood sugar doesn’t spike.

Frequent consumption of juice has been linked to a greater incidence of rectal cancer, probably due to the high level of sugar in juice. Some juices rival soda by this measure.

10. Store Bought Smoothies

Smoothies are a better choice than juice because all of that good fiber is retained, albeit partially “digested” in the blender. But always make your smoothies at home! There is a reason store bought smoothies taste so dessert-like and have a smooth, creamy texture – they add a lot of extra stuff that balloons the fat and sugar content.

It’s the fact that this junk is hiding in a food we think of as healthy that’s at issue; it’s too easy to load up on unhealthy ingredients without even realizing it.

11. Sports Drinks

Sports drinks may not directly lead to cancer, but they provide a stepping stone along the way. Though marketed as healthy, sports drinks are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates. And unless you literally work out all day long, they are unnecessary too.

Stick to regular water for the most part, because the extra calories in sports drinks can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes, both of which are linked with an increased risk of developing cancer.

In the end, plain filtered water is best for your body. Other beverages are fine in moderation, but aim to get about 2 liters of water per day before drinking anything else (your morning coffee aside, of course).

What you drink is just as important as what you eat in terms of cancer prevention, so don’t forget to note those liquid calories.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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What Not to Eat and Drink on a Plane

It’s pretty difficult not to get hungry on a flight, unless you’re flying extremely early in the morning and the only thing you are interested in is getting some sleep. Eating on a plane is fine, but there are actually certain food and drinks that you should avoid consuming while flying.
Below you’ll find 10 such items:

 

1. Onions and Garlic 

The compound allyl methyl disulfide, one of the culprits of garlic or onion breath, can take up to 24 hours to be removed from your body. Thankfully, there is a pretty easy fix. Eating foods such as raw apples or mint leaves can help deodorize your breath after you have eaten garlic or onions.
2. Alcohol
For those of you who fear flying, drinking some alcohol might seem like a great way to calm down, but you need to think twice. Flying by itself is already a dehydrating experience. Furthermore, sitting on a cramped plane for more than four hours already increases the chances of blood clots in high-risk people, and dehydration from drinking too much alcohol adds yet another layer of risk.
3. Coffee

Grabbing yourself a cup of coffee on the way to the gate is a common habit, but that cup contains about 410 milligrams of caffeine. Two hours into the flight, you’ll have already have annoyed your flight neighbors with several trips to the bathroom and restlessness. A 2017 study found that 6 mgm of caffeine per kg of body weight can act as a diuretic, leading to sodium, potassium, and fluid loss. This could result in muscle cramps and headaches.
4. Dark Chocolate
When we think about caffeine we usually think about coffee, but dark chocolate can pack a big caffeine punch. For example, a 3.5-ounce bar of 85% cacao has about 80 mgm of caffeine alone, and chocolate covered espresso beans contain as much as 336 mgm per serving.

5. Salami

That salami sandwich that you grabbed while waiting at the airport might just come back to haunt you when you’re in the air. Salami is a high-histamine food, so eating it can aggravate nasal allergies or sinusitis, making lift-off and landing a congestive nightmare. Next time, buy a turkey sandwich instead.

 

6. Tap Water
Sure, airlines give out H2O in bottles, but their coffee and tea are made using tap water – and you might just want to wait on those until you land. The Aircraft Drinking Water Rule of 2009 requires airlines to inspect their water systems for E. Coli at least every five years, which leaves a lot of time for error. Sure enough, a study carried out in 2015 found that the water on the two planes it tested contained bacteria known to cause diseases. Carry your own water bottle and fill it at a water fountain after you have gone past security.

7. Dried Fruit 

That bag of dried apricots might seem enticing if no meal is included on the flight, but you might live to regret it if you have been recently diagnosed with asthma and aren’t particularly familiar with its triggers. Dried fruits can contain sulfites, which could promote an attack. Furthermore, lower oxygen levels might worsen breathing issues.
8. Nuts and Nut Butter
Peanuts are a tasty snack, but you’ll be going hungry if the flight attendant announces that someone on the flight has a severe nut allergy. Since the plane recycles a percentage of the cabin air, opening up a bag of nuts could expose the allergic person to potentially deadly particles.

9. Breakfast Sandwich

Hit the brakes on the fast-food breakfast sandwich. At 1,989 mgm, one sandwich happens to be 86% of the recommended daily 2,300 milligrams of sodium. All that sodium can boost blood pressure, which is more concerning when you consider the fact that the flight’s low oxygen already puts additional strain on your heart.
10. Carbonated Beverages
Lower oxygen levels can make flying extra trying for those with lung disorders. A study found that 18% of passengers with lung disease had at least mild respiratory distress when flying. To make matters worse, gas expansion at high altitudes can increase the pressure on your lungs. Therefore, it’s recommended that carbonated beverages are avoided when flying.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

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