Residents have been warned that water in some houses in Galway city has been found to contain high levels of lead. Galway City Council and the Health Service Executive West said the lead was found during recent tests of houses in Old Mervue, Shantalla, Bohermore and the Claddagh areas of the city, where lead piping is still installed in many properties built before 1970. They warned people living and working in the Old Mervue area not to drink the tap water, which was worst affected by the lead contamination. It said arrangements were being made to provide a supply of drinking water for people in the area. The council insisted that water leaving its treatment works “does not contain lead and is of a very high quality”. However, it said part or all of the service pipes connecting the water main in the street to the kitchen tap in older buildings may be made of lead, which can build up in the body and serious harm to young children and unborn babies in particular. Over-exposure to lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and kidneys, and can cause high blood pressure and anaemia. At very high levels, lead poisoning can cause convulsions, coma and death. Boiling water does not remove lead. Further sampling of the drinking water in Galway City is being conducted to investigate the extent of the problem, the council said. It is the second incidence of serious water contamination in Galway City in the past 18 months. Last year, over 90,000 people in Galway city and county were forced to boil water due to contamination caused by the cryptosporidium parasite.
s_carnage wrote: » Think it is houses in Claddagh, Bohermore, parts of Mervue and Shantalla that are affected. Suppose that's the real old parts of Galway covered.
dilallio wrote: » It will possibly affect houses in other areas whose plumbing was installed using lead piping. The reason why the emphasis is with these areas, is because these houses were originally built by Galway City Council (Galway Corporation) and they may have some liability because these old pipes were not replaced with copper or flexible piping. Does anyone know who with or how I can get my water tested, and if the City Council will offer this service. Thanks
muppetkiller wrote: » Well my home in Henry Street was built around 1900 and has had lead pipes since it was built. If my family or me are not dead yet then I don't think anyone needs to work. In fact my Great Gran Aunt lived in the house too and Died at 101.. Maybe the government have found lead actually keeps you living longer and don't want the burden on the health system lol.
cL0h wrote: » After a few years, the interior of pipes develop a sort of callus deposit of minerals that help protect lead from leaching into the water. However, many cities have recently switched from Cl2 to chloramine for treating their water supplies. Chloramine is highly corrosive to the lead plaques, and causes the lead level to spike much, much higher. This is a public disaster in the making, and very few people realize this. My guess is they moved to the new type of chlorine after the crypto cos they were told it was better but they didn't consider old houses with lead piping. Chlorine stabilizes the lead film but with the chloramines, the lead film almost completely dissolves according to corrosion expert Marc Edwards at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the States.
hada wrote: » i'm in shantalla. have been drinking the water for well, the last 4 years. so far - no lead poisioning..... In fact, I feel great. Maybe I'm turning into some super hero with lead based powers Lead Man the power to weigh anything down - anytime, anywhere. I can see the graphic novels now!...
toiletduck wrote: » And you'd be immune to radiation*! *except for possible death
chilly wrote: » Will this problems not affect houses all over the country that were built pre-1970 if it's the piping that's responsible? Is this issue really Galway specific or is just a case that after the cryto disaster that we are the only ones testing the water?
chilly wrote: » Will this problems not affect houses all over the country that were built pre-1970 if it's the piping that's responsible?
