Lead is hidden in 5 daily necessities: faucets, wallets, lipsticks, juice
Original title: 5 kinds of daily necessities hidden lead: faucet, wallet, lipstick, juice
Lead pollution, lead poisoning, blood lead exceeding the standard... These terrible words have appeared in the news again and again. Studies have linked excess lead to cognitive impairment, heart disease, kidney failure and other diseases. In addition to major sources of lead, such as pesticides, paint and gasoline, there can also be frightening levels of lead lurking in corners of the home. The United States "Fox" news network published an article on March 29 to help you find the five major potential "lead sources" that are little known in the home.
1. Faucets. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that faucets are made mainly of copper, and copper and chromium-plated copper faucets have the highest levels of lead among all types of faucets.
What to do: If you are concerned about water quality, you can install a tap water filter.
2 Flooring. Lead is a stabilizer that prevents vinyl (a type of plastic) from breaking down, but as plastic products age, the lead in them may precipitate out. A 2008 study of vinyl flooring, a type of floor similar to plastic, said it contained lead.
What to do: Choose safer flooring, such as solid wood flooring.
3. Wallet. Tests by the Center for Environmental Health, a US non-profit organization, found alarmingly high levels of lead in wallets. One high-end wallet was found to contain 195 times the California state limit for lead in consumer products.
What to do: It's best to choose a wallet made of leather, cotton or canvas.
4. Lipstick. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found 22 samples of the lipsticks contain lead, which, though in small amounts, can be harmful over time.
What to do: Before you buy a lipstick, it's best to consult the information about the amount of lead in the lipstick, try to choose a small amount, or better yet, no lipstick.
5. Juice. Some pesticides contain lead, which can "contaminate" fruits and vegetables. Tests in the US found that 25 per cent of fruit juices contained excessive levels of lead.
Countermeasures: Drinking fruit juice is not as good as eating fruit directly, but be sure to wash it before eating.