How Safe is Your Drinking Water in Texas?

Michael S. Callahan | | Environmental Claims
dirty drinking water

Drinking Water in Michigan Spur Questions about Texas Drinking Water

Most people around the nation are now aware of the serious drinking water problem in Flint, Michigan, where the residents have been unknowingly ingesting high levels of lead through their drinking water. But, did you know we are also having our own water issues here in Texas with lead in our water?

Recently, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported that according to officials at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, 1,001 of the 2,245 Texas public water suppliers failed to test water for lead and copper in 2015. This means officials on the local, state and federal levels do not have the required current data on the lead and copper levels for about 1 in 7 of Texas’ 6,916 public water systems.

This is not to say that our water is in fact contaminated. However, it does mean that almost half of the public water suppliers in 2015 that Texas citizens pay and trust to provide them with clean water don’t properly test the water for substances such as lead and copper. Proper reporting of testing results is important not only because it’s the law, but because the health of the public is at risk if there are unsafe levels of lead or copper in the water.

What Lead Does to the Body

Ingesting lead through either food or drink can result in lead poisoning and can cause the following health problems according to the website Healthline.com:

  • abdominal pain
  • aggressive behavior
  • sleep problems
  • headaches
  • irritability
  • loss of developmental skills in children
  • numbness or tingling in the extremities
  • memory loss
  • anemia
  • kidney dysfunction

What Copper Does to the Body

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, the following health problems result when ingesting unsafe levels of copper:

  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • stomach cramps
  • diarrhea
  • liver damage
  • kidney damage
  • death

What to do to Protect Yourself

If you are concerned that your local water authorities may not be properly testing your water supply, test the water yourself. You can purchase water testing kits at almost any local hardware store. These kits are usually inexpensive and very easy to use.

If your water testing kit indicates that the levels of lead, copper, mercury, or other substances in your water are at an unsafe level, contact the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and report your findings.

If you or a loved one is suffering symptoms from prolonged excessive exposure to lead or copper, contact The Callahan Law Firm for a free case evaluation.