Epoxy Pipe Lining Can Prevent Lead Contamination

August 6, 2008 on 3:15 am | In Home Repair | No Comments
by Dr. Dave Dunn

Lead used to be a primary material for water pipes in major U.S. cities, until the early 1900?s. It was so heavily favored because of its durability and malleability. Galvanized steel and copper eventually replaced lead, and copper pipe became the most popular material used in home water service and distribution in post 1950 construction.

Lead contamination, caused by pipe corrosion and erosion, was the major source of lead-related health problems in the years before the health hazards of ingesting lead were fully understood. Two of the most serious health problems were stillbirth and high rates of infant mortality. Part of what did and continues to makes it so serious is that, unlike many other plumbing or pipe problems, there is no way to detect it without having your water tested. On its website, the EPA offers general information about lead contamination and how to test for it.

If you have lead in your water, it?s generally because of one (or more) of these: lead-based solder which used to be the primary way to join copper pipes, a lead service line pipe linking your house to the city or town water main, and brass (or chrome-plated brass) faucets. The U.S. Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead in 1986. It also limited the lead composition of pipes, faucets, and all other plumbing materials to 8.0%.? As a result of this legislation, ?lead-free? brass legally can contain no more than 8% lead and plumbing installed before 1986 possibly contain higher levels of lead.

In older structures, lines from the city/town water main to the home or building may be a lead pipe . Unless your piping has been upgraded in the past 40 years, it is probably galvanized pipe which does not require lead solder for joining. Faucets should be checked to see if they are brass or chrome-plated, a licensed plumber should be able to tell you if they are. CuraFlo??s website offers a brief history of lead materials in water pipes.

If you have lead contamination from your pipes, epoxy lining can be your solution. Once installed it is a barrier to lead leaching into your drinking water. The epoxy lining prevents the metal of the pipe and the water flowing through from coming into direct contact. This prevents the chemical reaction that causes pipe corrosion. Epoxy pipe lining eliminates and prevents lead and other metals (from your pipes) leaching into the water, as well as a host of other poor water quality issues such as: water that?s red, brown, blue or yellow, zinc or iron leeching in galvanized pipes causing a metallic taste, and bacteria that causes bad tasting water or water that smells.

Epoxy lining of pipes is not a new technology, just a relatively unkown one. But it?s not unproven ?both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have tested and approved the use of epoxy pipe lining to prevent lead and other contaminants from leaching into drinking water. Links to their reports are available at curaflo.com/CuraFlo/ResourceCenter.

government?s highest stadard for safe drinking water: ANSI/NSF Standard 61. ANSI/NSF Standard 61 certification means CuraPoxy is certified for safe use in drinking water pipes carrying water up to 180? Fahrenheit or 82.2? Celsius. The proprietary epoxy and epoxy pipe lining process CuraFlo uses will protect you from lead and other metals in your pipes that may be leaching into your water now or might in the future, by creating a safe barrier between them and your water.

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Long-Term Care Insurance, Prepare for the Unthinkable

August 6, 2008 on 3:14 am | In Family | No Comments
by Terry Stanfield

It would be a wonderful world if nothing changed and everything remained the same. We would not age, die or need medical care in any way. However, the sad truth is that the world is a dynamic and ever-changing place, where nothing remains the same. We may hope that things will remain the same, but they never will, and it is up to us to prepare ourselves for the possible future outcomes that can be difficult to envision. One such way to prepare is through the purchase of long-term care insurance, which can be your best bet for a financially stable life when long-term care becomes an issue for yourself, or a loved one.

Long-term care can happen to anyone, either through old age or an accident. Few would have ever thought that the man who played Superman in four movies would ever need long-term care. He was an excellent example of a fit and healthy human being, but at the age of only 42 he fell off of a horse and was paralyzed from the neck down. For the next nine years he required long-term care. So, you see, the unthinkable can happen to anyone, at anytime, anywhere.

With long-term care insurance, you are preparing for the unthinkable by taking your own future in your hands and ensuring your financial stability, as well as the financial stability of those around you. Studies have shown that long-term care costs for individuals are often paid by immediate family. So, when you fail to plan for the future with long-term care insurance, you are not only jeopardizing your own financial stability, but that of your family.

Long-term care insurance is the best option an individual has for planning their future. The future may be one of vacationing, traveling and enjoying life in retirement, or it may be one of long-term care due to problems relating to health and disabilities. Either way, there is no harm to preparing for long-term care scenarios should they happen. When you buy a sports car, you are not planning on crashing it, but you get insurance nonetheless. You are not planning on being sick in your old age, but it can happen so you should prepare for it with long-term care insurance.

Conclusion Long-term care is a sad reality of growing old. As we get older, the need for long-term care becomes greater and greater, eventually encompassing our entire lives. In this scenario, you want to make sure yourself, and your children, will not be financially burdened by your long-term care needs. With long-term care insurance, those financial needs are taken care of, leaving your children, and yourself, financially secure through some difficult times. Don’t leave anything to chance. Take the steps to make your long-term future secure in the case of long-term care needs. Long-term care insurance is your best defense against a destitute and financially-trying retirement. Chance favors the prepared, so don’t leave long-term care to chance. The small price is well worth the huge benefits it can reap.

You should just ask for help from an insurance representative who specializes in long term care insurance to answer any questions.

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Long Term Care Insurance Can Give You Peace of Mind

August 6, 2008 on 3:12 am | In Finance | No Comments
by Michelle Anne Williams

None of us wants to think of becoming incapacitated and needing long term care. But it happens. If you are part of a married couple, you have a 70 percent chance of one of you needing long term care. If you are single, you stand a 40 percent chance. These percentages are bound to increase as baby boomers begin to age.

Long term care insurance can give you a peace of mind. Like health insurance, long term care insurance works to pay benefits to long term care facilities. They will cover what Medicare and other insurance will not and allow you to retain your savings.

Most of us do not plan for long term care and by the time we need it, it is too late. We cannot count on our children being able to care for us. With so many people living well into their 80s and 90s, it is very likely that the “children” who are to care for them are of retirement age themselves. This can be too much of a burden for an older person to take, no matter how much they want to help.

As you have worked and saved all of your life, you probably want to be able to leave something to your children when you pass on. You do not want to end the last of your days on public aid, in a long term care facility that is too far away for your children to visit. But that is what happens to people all of the time.

The way that long term care works is that you have to sign over all of your assets when you enter with an irreversible condition. When they are used up, you then go on public aid. There is no guarantee that the nursing facility will keep you once you are a ward of the state. They can then transfer you to another facility that may be much further away.

You cannot count on Medicare to pay for your care. They will pay a fraction of what it will cost to take care of you. And do you really want your children or loved ones emptying their bank accounts to pay for your care?

If you plan ahead and get a long term care health insurance policy, you can be covered. These policies will pay $150 a day for your care for a four year period. You can use the money when and if you need it. You can also get an inflation clause in your policy so that the $150 that is good for today will cover what it costs 20 years from now.

The amount you will have to pay for a long term care insurance policy will depend upon certain conditions such as your age and general state of health. But planning ahead for this kind of care is essential if you want peace of mind and do not want to have to worry about becoming a burden on your loved ones as you get older.

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Lead Contamination is Preventable with Epoxy Pipe Lining

August 6, 2008 on 3:07 am | In Home Repair | No Comments
by Dr. Dave Dunn

Lead used to be a primary material for water pipes in major U.S. cities, until the early 1900?s. It was so heavily favored because of its durability and malleability. Galvanized steel and copper eventually replaced lead, and copper pipe became the most popular material used in home water service and distribution in post 1950 construction.

Lead contamination was the top source of lead-related health issues before the hazards of ingesting it were known. The cause was pipe corrosion and erosion, and it raised stillbirth and infant mortality rates. Other plumbing or pipe problems are much easier to spot, but if you?re not testing for lead in your water, you?ll never know it?s there. You can find general information about lead contamination and how to test for it on the EPA?s website.

If you have lead in your water, it?s generally because of lead-based solder which was the primary material to join copper pipes together, a service line pipe from your house to the city or town water main made out of lead, and brass or chrome-plated brass faucets. In 1986, Congress put and end to the use of lead solder with over 0.2% lead in it. The lead in faucets, pipes and every other plumbing material was not allowed to exceed 8.0%.? ?Lead-free? brass legally can can?t have than 8% lead in it and plumbing systems installed prior to the 1986 legislation can possibly contain higher levels of lead.

In older structures, lines from the city/town water main to the home or building may be a lead pipe . Unless your piping has been upgraded in the past 40 years, it is probably galvanized pipe which does not require lead solder for joining. Faucets should be checked to see if they are brass or chrome-plated, a licensed plumber should be able to tell you if they are. CuraFlo??s website offers a brief history of lead materials in water pipes.

Once installed, epoxy pipe lining is a barrier to prevent lead leaching from your pipes into your drinking water. The epoxy lining prevents the water going through the pipe from coming into contact with the metal of the pipe, the chemical reaction that creates pipe corrosion is prevented. Epoxy pipe lining will prevent lead and other metals (from your pipes) from getting into your water. The lining also prevents other poor water quality issues, for example: red, brown, blue or yellow water, zinc or iron leeching from galvanized pipes into your water, causing a metallic taste, and bacteria can cause terrible tasting or smelling water.

A relatively unknown technology, epoxy pipe lining is not a new technology, –in fact it?s well proven. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy have both ested and approved the use of epoxy pipe lining to prevent contaminants, including lead, from leaching into drinking water. Their reports are published and links to them can be found at curaflo.com/CuraFlo/ResourceCenter. The epoxy used by CuraFlo in epoxy pipe lining, CuraPoxy?, is certified to meet the U.S.

There is no need for health concerns when it comes to epoxy lining your pipes, CuraFlo?s epoxy, CuraPoxy?, is certified to meet ANSI/NSF Standard 61 - the U.S. government standard for safe potable (drinking) water. ANSI/NSF Standard 61 certification means that something is certified safe to be used in potable water pipes at temperatures up to 180? Fahrenheit or 82.2? Celsius. CuraFlo?s epoxy pipe lining process protects you from lead (and other metals) in your pipes leaching into your water by preventing these metals from leaching into your water.

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Consumer Debt Consolidation- Simplifies Your Monthly Monetary Commitments

August 6, 2008 on 2:08 am | In Finance, Home | No Comments

A consumer debt consolidation program can assist you in simplifying your monthly payments. These programs allow you to combine several smaller payments into one monthly payment to your creditors. A reputable credit counselor will look closely at your budget to determine if a consumer debt consolidation plan will work for you. Good debt relief counseling also includes continued counseling and education not only throughout the duration of the program, but also after your program is completed. This approach ensures that you have made permanent changes which will keep your finances on track in the future. Continue reading Consumer Debt Consolidation- Simplifies Your Monthly Monetary Commitments…

Stock Market Trading: How To Master The Required Skills

August 6, 2008 on 2:08 am | In Finance | No Comments

If you wish to start stock market trading, it is a good idea to first hone your logical reasoning skills. The next skill set you will need is good basic arithmetic. You will be faced with huge amounts of numerical data to sift through once you start trading. These skills combined will allow you to make sense of the ratios used to determine trends in stock performance. Continue reading Stock Market Trading: How To Master The Required Skills…

Trading Options: Consider Using A Professional Broker

August 6, 2008 on 2:08 am | In Finance | No Comments

The next big thing in the investing world seems to be trading options. It is hard to avoid hearing about them lately if you are involved in investing. This is an area that is easy to get into but you have to make sure that you fully understand it before starting to invest. It is possible to make a lot of money with options but you can also lose a lot of money. Continue reading Trading Options: Consider Using A Professional Broker…

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