Have concerns about the safety of your drinking water? You’re not alone. Many people are increasingly aware of potential contaminants in their water supply, and lead is a major one to understand. It’s crucial to learn about the ins and outs of lead in drinking water to safeguard your health and your family’s well-being.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasize that there is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children. Reducing exposure is vital for better health outcomes. Lead poses significant health risks, particularly to children.
Understanding Lead Contamination in Drinking Water
How Does Lead Get Into Drinking Water?
Lead contamination in drinking water typically occurs when plumbing materials containing lead corrode. This is more likely in water with high acidity or low mineral content, which can aggressively erode pipes and fixtures. The primary sources of lead are:
- Lead service lines: These are lead pipes connecting older homes to the main water supply and are often the most significant source of lead. They are more common in cities and houses built before 1986.
- Faucets and fixtures: Brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and plumbing with lead solder are also common sources, especially in homes without lead service lines.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has set strict limits on allowable lead content in plumbing materials, defining “lead-free” as a weighted average of 0.25 percent lead across wetted surfaces in pipes and fittings, and 0.2 percent for solder and flux.
Corrosion, the process of metal dissolving due to chemical reactions with water, is influenced by several factors:
- Water chemistry: Acidity, alkalinity, and mineral content play a crucial role.
- Contact duration: The amount of lead the water contacts.
- Water temperature: Higher temperatures can increase corrosion.
- Pipe wear: Older pipes are more susceptible to corrosion.
- Water stagnation: The longer water sits in pipes, the more lead it can absorb.
- Protective coatings: The presence of scales or coatings inside pipes can reduce corrosion.
To combat lead and copper corrosion, the EPA developed the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) under the SDWA. This rule mandates corrosion control treatment by water utilities to make drinking water less corrosive, thus preventing lead and copper contamination. Learn more about EPA’s regulations to prevent lead in drinking water.
Health Effects of Lead Exposure from Drinking Water
It’s important to understand that even low levels of lead can be harmful. The health effects detailed here are intended to highlight the most significant and probable risks associated with lead in drinking water, not an exhaustive list.
Is There a Safe Level of Lead?
The EPA has established a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for lead in drinking water at zero. This is because lead is a toxic metal with no known safe exposure level. Lead accumulates in the body over time, making even small amounts a concern.
Children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable. Lead’s harmful effects occur at lower exposure levels in children compared to adults. A seemingly small dose for an adult can have a major impact on a child’s developing system.
The CDC recommends public health action when a child’s blood lead level is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or higher.
It’s crucial to consider all potential sources of lead exposure for children, including paint, dust, soil, air, and food, in addition to drinking water. Drinking water can contribute significantly to overall lead exposure, estimated by the EPA to be 20 percent or more for adults and even higher (40 to 60 percent) for infants consuming formula mixed with tap water.
Impact on Children
Even minimal lead levels in children’s blood can lead to:
- Behavioral and learning difficulties
- Lower IQ and hyperactivity
- Slowed growth
- Hearing impairment
- Anemia
In severe cases, lead ingestion can cause seizures, coma, and even death.
Risks for Pregnant Women
Lead stored in bones can be released during pregnancy as maternal calcium is utilized for fetal bone development, especially if calcium intake is insufficient. Lead can cross the placenta, exposing the fetus and potentially causing:
- Reduced fetal growth
- Premature birth
Lead can also be passed to infants through breast milk. More information is available on Lead and Breastfeeding.
Effects on Adults
Adults are also susceptible to lead’s harmful effects, including:
- Cardiovascular issues, such as increased blood pressure and hypertension
- Reduced kidney function
- Reproductive problems in both genders
Showering in Lead-Contaminated Water
Bathing and showering in water with lead levels exceeding EPA standards is generally considered safe. The skin does not absorb lead from water.
However, individual situations can vary, especially with highly corrosive water. Always consult your local water authority as your primary resource for testing and identifying lead issues. Many water authorities provide drinking water quality data, including lead testing results, on their websites, often linked through the EPA Consumer Confidence Report website.
For more information, refer to CDC’s “Sources of Lead: Water” Web page.
Taking Action: What You Can Do
Determine if Lead is in Your Drinking Water
1. Check Your Water Quality Report:
Community water systems are required to provide an annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) by July 1st each year. Contact your water utility to obtain your latest CCR. If you use a private well, consult your health department or nearby water utilities using groundwater for information on local contaminants.
The EPA’s Public Notification Rule mandates that public water systems alert you to any drinking water problems.
2. Test Your Water for Lead:
Testing is the only definitive way to detect lead in your water, as it is invisible, tasteless, and odorless when dissolved. Certified laboratories for water testing are listed by your state or local drinking water authority. Tests typically cost between $20 and $100. Your water supplier may also offer valuable information about lead service lines in your area.
Learn more about when to test and what to do if you find lead on the Protect Your Family from Exposures to Lead web page.
You can also access a fact sheet on testing your home’s drinking water.
Reducing Lead Exposure: Important Steps
If you are concerned about lead, consider these actions:
- Use Certified Filters: Use filters specifically certified to remove lead. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, usage, cartridge replacement, and avoid using hot water through the filter.
- Clean Aerators Regularly: Sediment and lead particles can accumulate in faucet aerators. Regular cleaning can prevent lead from entering your water.
- Use Cold Water Only for Consumption: Always use cold water for drinking, cooking, and baby formula, as hot water dissolves lead more readily. Boiling water does not remove lead.
- Flush Your Pipes: Let water run for a few minutes before use, especially if it has been sitting in pipes for several hours. The required flushing time depends on whether you have a lead service line. Contact your water utility for specific flushing recommendations.
- Identify Lead Service Lines: Determine if your home has a lead service line connecting it to the water main. Consult your water utility or a licensed plumber. EPA’s guide Protect Your Tap: A quick check for lead provides step-by-step instructions.
- Be Aware of Construction: If you have a lead service line, be aware of nearby construction that could disturb it and cause increased lead release.
- Regular Water Testing: Have your water tested periodically to monitor lead levels. Contact your water utility for testing and information.
Review the EPA’s Lead in Drinking Water Infographic for more details.
Resources to Identify and Address Lead Pipes
Use the guide, Protect Your Tap: A quick check for lead, an online step-by-step resource to identify lead service lines and learn about reducing lead exposure, water testing, and other resources.
Toolkits are available for various sectors to promote the use of Protect Your Tap:
- Community Groups: For housing authorities and community organizations to educate residents.
- Government: For state and municipal officials to inform residents.
- Health: For healthcare providers to educate patients, especially families with young children.
- Utilities: For water utility companies to inform customers.
Blood Lead Level Testing for Children
Consult a pediatrician or family doctor for a blood lead test for your child and to discuss health implications. Local health departments can also provide information on blood lead testing. The CDC recommends action if a child’s blood lead level is 3.5 µg/dL or higher.
Lead in Schools and Child Care Facilities
Ensure that faucets used for drinking and food preparation in schools and child care facilities are tested for lead.
Drinking Water Regulations for Lead
EPA’s Regulations
The Safe Drinking Water Act, passed in 1974, mandates the EPA to set standards for contaminants in drinking water to protect public health. The EPA sets non-enforceable health goals called maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs), and the MCLG for lead is zero, reflecting that there is no safe level of lead exposure.
For most contaminants, the EPA sets enforceable maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). However, for lead, due to its contamination often originating from customer plumbing, the EPA established a treatment technique regulation, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR).
The LCR requires water systems to control water corrosivity and mandates tap water sampling from locations likely to have lead plumbing. If more than 10% of samples exceed the lead action level of 15 parts per billion, water systems must:
- Optimize corrosion control treatment.
- Educate the public on lead in drinking water and reduction measures.
- Replace lead service lines under their control.
The EPA issued the LCR in 1991 and has revised it multiple times, including in 2024. States can implement stricter regulations than the EPA.
State and Public Water System Responsibilities
The SDWA requires the EPA to enforce standards for public drinking water systems. States and tribes can assume primary enforcement responsibility (“primacy”) if they meet EPA requirements.
Further Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR):
