Lead found in drinking water on Navarre Beach

Traces of lead have been found in the Navarre Beach Water System drinking water.

            As required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Navarre Beach Water & Sewer ran a public notice informing the public about the discovery. The notice states that most homes on the beach have very low levels of lead in the water, but some homes had levels of 0.0015 milligrams of lead per liter of water.

            Bill Sirmans, Santa Rosa County Health Department environmental health director, said 0.00015 0.0015 was still a minuscule amount. The health department only gets involved with lead concerns when children have high levels of lead in their system.

            “But it’s not normally from drinking water. It’s usually from eating something with lead-based paint,” he said.

            The public notice advises parents of small children to wash their toys and make sure they only digest food. Though lead is a common element found in paint, air, soil, dust, food and water, the public notice states that too much lead built up in the human body can cause serious health risks, including brain and kidney damage. Pregnant women and children are at a greater risk because lead can interfere with brain development.

For more on this story, see the July 28 issue of Navarre Press or subscribe online.