By Brian Cronin, Director of AquaMD

This galvanized steel water pipe shows signs of scaling and advanced tuberculation, which is the build-up of corroded material on the inside of iron pipe. This can lead to the leaching of harmful materials into the water and drastically reduced waterflow.

Taking our drinking water quality for granted is a mistake most of us make every day. If our tap water tastes, smells and looks clean, we simply assume it's safe for drinking, brushing teeth and bathing. But, considering the vital role water plays in maintaining good health, this approach just isn't smart.

There are too many factors beyond our control that can drastically impact our tap water quality. Pollution in the form of chemical spills, leaking fuel tanks, pesticides, cleaning fluids, weed killers and fertilizers is just the tip of the water-contamination iceberg. Ironically, even the very chemicals that water companies add to our water to "protect" us--like fluoride, chlorine and other disinfectants--can lead to health risks.

However, one of the most overlooked sources of water contamination is right under our noses, streets, lawns and floors: water pipes. This past February the EPA reported that even safe, potable water often becomes contaminated after it leaves the municipal treatment plant.

The EPA said that sediment, such as scales and microbial material (or "biofilm"), builds up inside pipe walls and leaches into the drinking water as it passes through on the way to your home [see photo right]. If the water's pH is low, the acidity can result in materials like iron, copper, lead, zinc, arsenic and manganese showing up at levels well beyond state and federal drinking water standards.

The flange of this copper water pipe shows a pinhole leak that can leach copper into the water and introduce other outside contaminants from the surrounding soil.

Water with pH below 6.5 can also corrode copper pipes, which not only can lead to high levels of copper in the water, but also result in pitting, or "pinhole" leaks, which can allow other contaminants into the pipe and the water inside [see photo left].

Even PVC piping is not completely immune to contamination problems. If made from defective materials, PVC pipes can leach harmful volatile organic compounds (such as Tetrachloroethylene) into the passing water.
Water is the abundant element on the planet and is essential for the health of all who call the Earth home. Water also moves continents, sculpts mountains and carves canyons ... so our metal, concrete and plastic pipes are no match in the long run.

Our water quality is in a constant state of flux. It ebbs, flows and shifts with the many external factors that impact it. As a result, we should never just assume that our water quality is safe. Please test your water once a year with a qualified, state-certified laboratory. The benefits far outweigh the costs.