Lead
How does lead get into drinking water?
Lead can get into the water supply either by the erosion of natural deposits, or by the corrosion of plumbing fixtures. Homes built before 1940 are more likely to have lead pipes, although over time these pipes will form a coating that may prevent further corrosion. The solder used to hold pipes together may also contain lead. If the water is corrosive, the pipes or solder can release lead into the water. Generally, drinking water accounts for about 20% of an adult’s intake of lead.
What are the health effects of lead?
Elevated levels of lead can have serious health effects particularly for pregnant women, infants and children. Even short periods of exposure to lead may damage red blood cells and increase blood pressure. Long-term exposure to high levels of lead can cause damage to the brain and nervous system. It may also cause stroke, kidney disease or even cancer. Lead is particularly toxic to children amounts of lead that won’t hurt adults can slow down the normal mental and physical developments of growing bodies. In addition, children, especially infants, drink a higher proportion of water than do adults.
What is being done to prevent lead from getting into my tap water?
The regulation of lead in drinking water is very stringent. In 1986, the EPA under an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, banned the use of lead plumbing in public water supplies. Solder is considered lead-free if it contains less than 0.2% lead, and pipes if they contain less than 8% lead. These amounts of lead will not be a problem as long as the corrosivity of the water remains low.
Selected taps throughout town are monitored regularly for lead. Samples are collected twice a year to be analyzed. If the amount of lead exceeds the EPA Action Level of 0.015 mg/L at more than 10% of the taps tested, then the Water District will continue to monitor the contaminant twice a year and take further steps to reduce the amount of lead in the water.
To reduce the hydrogen ion concentration of the water, and thus its corrosivity, the Acton Water District adds potassium hydroxide to the water. The Water District also adds a polyphosphate (Aqua Mag) to help reduce the levels of lead and copper in the water. Generally, the concentration of lead in all samples collected by the Water District is well below the Action Level. Detections of lead above the Action Level are reported to homeowners immediately.
What can I do to minimize the amount of lead in my water?
There are some simple steps that you can take to reduce the amount of lead in your drinking water. If the faucet has not been used for six or more hours, flush the pipes before drinking from them. Run the water faucet for about two minutes, or until the temperature stabilizes, before drinking the water. Also, use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula because hot water dissolves lead faster than does cold water. Check to make sure that pots and pans are lead free. Imported cookware may contain lead; if you are unsure, do not use it to heat water for consumption, especially for children.