Father fears for family's health

April 28, Duston Stevenson was informed by an employee of G.K. Morse that the pipes carrying water into his home at 180 Culloden Rd. were made of lead. The company is currently excavating along Culloden Road as the main water pipelines from the town of Digby’s Mount Pleasant wells are being replaced.

Lead poisoning has been linked with both physical and neurological problems..

Because of the smaller size and higher metabolism of children under six years of age—including infants and fetuses—they are considered to be most at risk.

Stevenson told the Courier that he and his fiancee bought their Mount Pleasant home four years ago. “After living here awhile, we both started having headaches and nausea. I thought there must be something in the house making us sick—maybe the insulation, so I started ripping out walls.

Stevenson said he didn’t find anything suspicious in the home, and it never occurred to him it could be the water.

He called the Poison Control hotline shortly after learning about the pipes and was told that, in adults, symptoms of lead poisoning can include headaches, irritability, abdominal pain, vomiting, weakness and weight loss.

Stevenson said he is especially concerned for the health of his children who are ages 1 and 2. He says their mother drank and cooked with the water during her pregnancies, and after breastfeeding them, switched them to a powder formula that was mixed with water.

Stevenson was advised by Poison Control that his entire family should be immediately tested for lead poisoning. At 5 p.m. April 28, he was also making arrangements to leave the home and move in with family members.

Stevenson said he lodged a written complaint with the town of Digby, but they were caught totally offguard.

The individual who delivered the upsetting news to Stevenson said the lead pipes leading into his family’s home were the only ones the company had unearthed.