High concentrations of lead in the body can be fatal. Most of the lead in drinking water comes from pipes joined using lead solder in copper plumbing. Less often, lead comes from old lead pipes connecting water mains with homes, and increasingly rarely, from lead pipes in old public water systems. In 1985 the EPA banned the use of lead in new public and private water systems and in plumbing repairs. To check for lead, look at your house's pipe joints.
Joints made of lead are a dull gray while joints that are silver are made of other materials.
Water can be tested by local water supply systems or by private laboratories. Radiation of food is being promoted as an alternative to treat food with pesticides,fungicides, and other preservatives. Critics of irradiation, including environmentalists and antinuclear groups, say all the chemical byproducts of the process aren't fully understood and may pose cancer risks. They say irradiation will increase the hazards of producing, transporting and storing the radioactive isotopes to treat the food. With seven irradiation plants in the state, New Jersey is one of the leading centers of the irradiation industry.