Lead in water

More on Lead Paint and Dust
Lead in water
Lead in soil
Other lead sources

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates drinking water is the source of about 20 percent of Americans' lead exposure. Lead may leach into the water from old lead pipes and service lines in city systems and from home plumbing. Even after lead pipes were banned, leaded solder was legal for use on drinking water lines until the 1980's and is still availble for purchase in hardware stores for commercial use. Faucets and plumbing fittings may legally contain up to 8 percent lead.

The greatest risk is to infants using formula mixed with contaminated water.

You cannot boil lead out of water.  To minimize the risk of exposure,

• run water for 30 seconds (until the water changes from cool to cold); this allows the water that had been sitting in the pipes to flush through. Boil
• always use cold water for cooking, drinking or making infant formula. Hot water will leach more lead from the pipes.
• water filtration systems are effective ways of filtering lead from your water
• For information on how to get drinking water tested, call the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.