Your municipal water supply company will give you testing results for city water, usually without charge. These test results do not include any lead that may enter you plumbing system (like from lead solder, faucet parts, etc.).
There are many entry points for lead before it comes out of your kitchen tap. There can be lead in the ground water, lead contamination from your local municipal water supply (this is unusual), lead contamination from building water supply piping or fixtures, well contamination by lead from surface contamination due to lead paint chips, and lead contamination in well pumps or faucet parts. Also lead is a mineral found in soil, and that may also be a source of lead contamination.
Depending on how long the water is adjacent to lead in the water source piping will determine the amount of actual lead to whih the water is being eposed and the contact time of water to lead. So water that sits in a lead water entry main overnight has a fairly high lead content while water the enters a building after the lines have been flushed usually has a lower lead content.
The chemistry of the water and disinfectants added to that water can affect the corrosive level of the water. More corrosive or aggressive water picks up more of whatever metals it contact.
The most common water lead testing that we are requested to perform by our clients is from the faucet. In older urban homes and office buildings it is very common to fine lead above threshold limits in drinking water, unless a filtration system is used. Lead solder was and remains a common solder for plumbers to use. Lead, above threshold limits, in drinking water is a particular hazard to children. If you have additional concerns for your children, please discuss this issue with your pediatrician or other health care professional.
There is significant additional information on the EPA’s website regarding health and children.
CDC’s lead in drinking water info
Please give us a call if you have additional needs for lead in water testing.
