By Brian Cronin, Director of AquaMD

For some, the term "heavy metal" conjures up images of wailing guitars, thunderous drums and stacks of amplifiers. Although those power chords can hurt your ears at high volume, the heavy metals found in our nation's tap water are far more harmful.

Heavy metals are inorganic chemical elements with relatively high density and are toxic even at low concentrations. Some examples include mercury, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead. These metallic elements occur naturally in the Earth's crust as geologic formations, and cannot be degraded or destroyed.

Heavy metals enter our bodies in various ways:

• The food we eat
• The air we breathe
• The water we drink

In low traces, some heavy metals -- like copper and zinc -- are essential to maintaining good health and metabolism within the human body. But, in higher concentrations, even beneficial metals can be toxic and poison us.

What makes heavy metals particularly dangerous is their tendency to bioaccumulate, meaning the increased concentration of a chemical in our bodies over time.

We absorb heavy metals from the environment and they are stored at a rate that is faster than they are metabolized or excreted from the body. Heavy metals accumulate in the water supply through human activity, such as industrial and consumer waste. Commercial processes, like mining, agriculture, manufacturing and the discarding of wastes in landfills, are all common sources of heavy metal contamination.

Even rainwater, with its acidic pH, can cause these compounds to leach into the surface and underground water supplies from the surrounding soil and rock.

Even our own home can be a source of heavy metal contamination. In homes built before the late 1980s, lead and copper can leach into the passing water from water pipes and soldered joints on the way to our taps. Low pH and elevated temperatures result in increased corrosion of water pipes.

Left unchecked, lead can give rise to chronic nerve, brain and kidney damage as well as blood disorders. Homes with children, senior citizens and people with immune system problems are particularly vulnerable.

While the EPA sets maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for heavy metals in our drinking water, practically all of their testing takes place at the water source and during treatment. Only a tiny fraction of the testing takes place randomly at the home tap level where metal contamination can easily occur. For those of us on private wells, there is no one looking out for your water quality. The testing is left solely up to you.

Detection is the first step toward protecting yourself. Once you know what's in your water, then you can find a solution to rectify the problem.

Remember, no two filters are alike ... and no single filter exists that can remove all possible contaminants. Always test your water with a certified laboratory, as they are required to follow mandatory testing procedures and can detect down to parts per billion.

Relying on your senses simply isn't smart. Certified analysis will result in the type of accuracy that you need when assessing your water's overall potability and quality.