{{first_name|friend}}, if you’ve ever:

Then there’s a chance you also were exposed to leaded gasoline and lead-based paint as a kid.

And guess what? Lead is stored in your bones, and it can hang out there for decades.

In a fun twist, when you hit peri/menopause, bone starts slowly breaking down, and some of that previously “stored” lead moves back into circulation. In fact, in a large national U.S. study of women 40 to 59, blood lead ran about 25% higher after natural menopause than before it.

Now, ideally, there isn’t a ton of lead in your tap water. The EPA’s goal for lead in water is zero.

But, it can leach into your water from service lines, lead soldering (used on pipes until 1986), and brass faucets or fittings. Even plumbing fixtures sold as “lead-free” could contain up to 8% lead until 2014.

Lead’s not the only thing that could be hiding in your tap, either.

Forever chemicals.

Nitrates.

Trace amounts of things that, over time, can cause real complications, especially when you’re in midlife.

Lead, even in modest amounts, is linked to higher blood pressure, strains your kidneys, and is also linked to memory changes as you age.

So the real question is: what exactly is in your water, and what is it doing to your thyroid, your estrogen levels, and your bones over years?

No matter what kind of water you’re drinking, the real move is protecting your bones with strength training, enough calcium and vitamin D, and for some women, hormone therapy.

A while back, I shared this nifty, free “What’s in your water?” prompt; you just download, attach it to your favorite chatbot, and it will give you answers about your public water (this only works if you have city water; if you have a well, you’ll have to test)

But testing the supply line only tells you a bit of the story. Try snapping a photo of the pipe coming into your house, and give it to AI. Then say:

Of course, AI can get things wrong. Don’t panic over the results or completely trust them, either ;) Treat it as a good place to start researching.

If this issue has you eyeing the bottled water aisle, read this first.

Columbia researchers used a new imaging technique to count the tiny plastic particles in three popular U.S. bottled water brands. They found about 240,000 per liter, 10 to 100 times more than earlier estimates. Tap water has them too, but far fewer.

What those particles do in the body is still an open question. What's clear is that bottled isn't automatically cleaner.

For most homes, a certified filter on the tap or a countertop unit is the better bet.

Read the study →

If you buy one thing for your kitchen this fall, make it a great water filter.

I just ordered a Rorra for our house.

No install, no plumber. It sits on the counter, and you fill it from the tap.

Rorra reports it cuts lead and PFAS by about 99.6% and microplastics by about 97%, and it's tested to NSF/ANSI standards with the lab results posted on their site.

Filters run about $65 every three months, so factor that into the cost. But the water tastes amazing, and I feel really good about having my family drink this water.

Not an affiliate link, just what’s on my counter now.