This common mistake we make when drinking tap water could be harmful to your health

What can be easier than filling up your glass with fresh water from your tap? And yet, here is something to keep in mind too.

As it turns out, your ready-to-serve refreshment may contain a couple of harmful metals - not something you want in your body. Here is how to avoid risking health problems.

Why can’t I drink tap water immediately?

The amount of time water spends in the distribution pipes and sitting in the household plumbing contributes to it containing certain metals that, in some cases, can be harmful to health.

One of these metals - lead - is common in older buildings and areas where water distribution infrastructure containing this highly poisonous metal hasn’t been replaced.

Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children and pregnant women. Amounts of lead that won’t hurt adults can slow down the normal mental and physical development of growing bodies.

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Another one is nickel - an element that is not useful for the body and, on the contrary, can be toxic if ingested in high doses.

Some people are highly sensitive to nickel for whom drinking water with a high content of this metal can experience health problems such as the aggravation of allergies.

It is therefore recommended to let the water run for some time and not drink it immediately after opening the tap.

How long you should run the tap before drinking it?

It is advised to run the cold water tap for between 15 and 30 seconds to flush out the pipes of any faucet that hasn’t been used for more than six hours.

Another way you can tell when you have flushed out the water that has been sitting in the plumbing is to put your hand under the water flowing from the tap until what comes out is noticeably colder.

If you need to boil water for cooking, drinking or preparing baby formula, you should always use the cold water tap. Hot water can dissolve more lead, more quickly.

Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your health. It usually uses less than one to two gallons of water.

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Sources used:

AS: How long should you run tap water before drinking it?

THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA): Lead in Drinking Water