Living in the beautiful pre-war buildings is definitely a perk for some of us in Europe. The high ceilings, historic facades are #architectureporn for real. There is one downside: Old plumbing (ugh).
If your building hasn't undergone renovation, you might still be using the original plumbing system. The issue here lies in the old piping possibly corroding. This risks releasing heavy metals such as iron, lead, and rust into your shower water and harming your skin, hair, and overall health.
The lead piping residue can be carried into your shower stream and then absorbed by your skin or inhaled through hot water fumes. A recent study by Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University, showed that high lead exposure is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases.
With that being said, lead piping is a rare case nowadays, as most older buildings have undergone renovations in the last 10 - 20 years. However, if you suspect having lead pipes in your building, definitely bring this to the attention of your landlord. You can also investigate yourself by physically checking the pipes in the basement (given that you have access). Another option is to test water samples at your city's water supplier. Most will be happy to help you out, although it could incur a small fee.
Another foolproof method is to add a filter to your wellness routine. A KLEAN Shower Filter helps remove the lead contaminants as well as chlorine, water-soluble metals before it enters your shower stream.
Here are some lab reports from our supplier:
- Help remove lead and other heavy metals
- Removes over 90% of chlorine
KLEAN helps you remove impurities in your shower through a process known as Redox. This process transforms chemicals and metal ions such as chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, lead, mercury, iron, and more into harmless substances, and in return, giving you worry-free showers.
