Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Abdominal pain and cramping (usually the fi rst sign of
a high, toxic dose of lead poison)
Very high levels may cause vomiting, staggering gait, muscle
weakness, seizures, or coma
To reduce your chances of lead poisoning:
Run tap water before drinking or cooking with it.
Use cold water for drinking or cooking.
Never cook or mix infant formula using hot tap water.
Do not consume water that has been in your home's plumb-
ing for more than six hours.
Certain faucets and pitcher fi lters will remove lead from
drinking water; be sure yours is certifi ed to do so by NSF
International.
For more information:
National Lead Information Center: http://epa.gov/lead/
Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800-426-4791 (more about the
hotline at http://water.epa.gov/aboutow/ogwdw/hotline/
index.cfm
NSF International: http://nsf.org
Government Assistance
Regions, states, cities, municipalities, and more picked up a short
jump-start on coping with some of their water-related stresses
and strains in the form of funds from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009.
13
In April 2009, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced
$945 million in projects to be funded with Recovery Act allot-
ments. The projects included meeting future water supply needs
like water reclamation and reuse and rural water projects; infra-
structure reliability and safety; environmental/ecosystem restora-
tion; green buildings; water conservation initiatives, and drought
relief.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also announced
$6 billion in stimulus funding for various programs, including
