A.W. Research Laboratories, Inc.

Buying or Selling Your Home

All real estate sales require a drinking water test for coliform bacteria and nitrogen. It is wise to check with your realtor, title company, or lending institution to see what they require. They may require a lead test also (especially if this is an FHA or VHA loan). Often times they also require a third party person to take the sample instead of the buyer or seller. AWRL will gladly collect the water sample for you. Please call and set up an appointment today. Ultimately, check with them first. Also remember to take the sample well before the closing date! Some tests may take longer to get results or if you happen to fail your test the first time, it allows you a chance to retest.

Coliform Bacteria and Nitrates

Coliform bacteria causes health symptoms related to drinking or swallowing water contaminated with bacteria. The symptoms generally range from no ill effects to cramps and diarrhea (gastrointestinal distress). In very rare cases, Coliform Bacteria can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney condition. If you live within the city limits and have municipal drinking water you can call your local water supplier (the number is right on your water bill) and request a copy of the city water test results.

High nitrate levels in drinking water pose a risk to infants because they may cause methemoglobinemia , a condition known as “blue baby syndrome.” High nitrate levels interrupt the normal body processes of some infants. Nitrate becomes toxic when it is transformed to nitrite, a process that can occur in the stomach as well as in the saliva. Infants are especially susceptible because their stomach juices are less acidic and therefore are conducive to the growth of nitrate-reducing bacteria. (Adults can consume large quantities of nitrates in drinking water or food with no known ill effects; their stomachs produce strong acids that do not promote the growth of bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite.) Nitrite in the blood combines with hemoglobin to form met-hemoglobin, which reduces the capability of the blood to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. This results in the “blue” condition of the baby’s skin. The infant is being asphyxiated because oxygen cannot be transported by the blood. Prompt medical attention normally results in quick recovery of the infant.

· There is no allowable limit for bacteria in drinking water.

· The Public Health Limit for Nitrate is 10mg/L.

Lead

Although lead has long been recognized as poisonous at high dosages, recent studies have shown it is damaging at lower levels than previously believed. Excess lead in the human body can cause serious damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system, red blood cells, low birth weights, and mental impairment in fetuses, infants, and children. Young children, infants and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. Any amount of lead, which would have little effect on an adult can greatly effect a child. Also, growing children rapidly absorb any lead that is consumed. A child's mental and physical development can be irreversibly stunted by lead.

Lead solder could legally be used to join plumbing pipes until 1986, but lead is a concern even if you live in a brand-new home. Faucets are still allowed to contain as much as 8 percent lead and these faucets have been shown to leach the metal in significant amounts.

· The Public Health limit for lead cannot exceed 15 ppb (parts per billion)

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buying or selling a house