How To Test for Lead in Your Home's Water Expert Guide
This course of action may be easier for you if you don't have time to schedule a visit from an outside agency or simply don't want to wait for them to make the trip out. To test if you have been exposed to lead, you’ll need a blood test. The Center for Disease Control .puts 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood (µg/dL) or more as someone who has lead poisoning.
Consider hiring a State-certified lead Inspector/Assessor to inspect your home for lead. Find out about everyday things you can do to prevent lead poisoning. Delivery time is estimated using our proprietary method which is based on the buyer's proximity to the item location, the shipping service selected, the seller's shipping history, and other factors.
Drain & Water Service Plumbers
In addition, it also reports the list and concentrations of contaminants that were recently present. The header pipe underground can not be tested with the key test. To check the header pipe itself, you may need to call your water supplier. If you’re worried about lead potentially affecting your family’s health, you may not want to wait to find a lab or a test kit. A white scratch either will, or won’t, appear on the pipe, providing you with a clear and immediate answer. Craig got his start in water working in the swimming pool and spa industry.
A common cause of lead exposure is mixing formula with lead-contaminated tap water. This puts babies at higher risk due to the large volume of water consumed relative to their small body size. Food and Drug Administration , bottled water must not have lead levels higher than 5 ppb. Which means drinking bottled water can lower your lead exposure. You can virtually eliminate your exposure to lead in water by drinking or using only bottled water that has beencertified by an independent testing organization. This may not be the most cost-effective option for long-term use.
Lead Test Swabs
A water treatment company can provide specialist testing for lead in your home’s water supply. That’s because lead was a common additive in house paint, gasoline and many other materials for years before its toxicity was known. An environmental factor that can lead to more exposure of lead content levels in your drinking water is nearby construction. Any city maintenance work can disturb your lead service line and allow more lead to be released to the main water system, which attaches to your home plumbing. Other factors include the amount of pipe corrosion, the amount of lead the water comes into contact with, and the level of acidity in the water.
The EPA says the most reliable testing is via a state-certified lab, such as those listed on the EPA’s web site. According to recent research, lead exposure has caused around 412,000 annual deaths in the US. Don’t use hot water directly from the tap for cooking or drinking. Hot water has a higher concentration of lead compared to cold water as it dissolves more lead from pipes. Not to mention, bottled water companies are exacerbating global climate change and wasting precious resources. Quite the contrary, drinking bottled water increases your exposure to BPA, plenty of other plastic toxins like microplastics, and possibly other unregulated contaminants.
Should You Test Your Water for Lead?
Lead service lines are the pipes that connect homes, apartment buildings and businesses to water mains, which run down the middle of streets. The table below shows hazard levels of lead in paint, soil and dust, as determined by the California Department of Public Health . Department of Housing & Urban Development may have different hazard level definitions. Because lead is odorless and has no taste, the only way you will know if you have lead in your home's tap water is to have it tested. Drink and use bottled water that is certified by an independent testing organization.
If you’re a homeowner, you know how important it is to keep your home in good condition. However, one thing you may not think about is the quality of your water. Lead can be a serious health hazard, so it’s important to test your water for lead and take steps to mitigate any contamination. This blog post will show you how to test for lead in your home’s water and discuss some of the best ways to reduce your exposure to this harmful metal. If your water tests positive for lead, the first thing to do is try to determine the cause. While getting your water tested by labs usually costs more than $100, it’s often worth it as a one-time payment – many people see it as an investment in their health.
Sending Samples to a Testing Lab
You have likely heard the saying that the best offense is a good defense, and that’s true, especially with matters regarding the efficiency of your home. We rely on our homes to protect us from the dangers and discomfort of the great outdoors. That’s why it’s so daunting and impactful when our homes don’t provide us with the protection we expect during winter. Young children are especially vulnerable to its dangers during these critical developmental years. With their hand-to-mouth exploring, they are more liable to ingest flaking paint chips or leaded paint dust, created by doors and windows in older housing opening and shutting, grinding down the paint.
When you have a well, you don’t even have a water quality report to go off, and it’s entirely your responsibility to test your well’s water lead levels. Ask your local water supplier for a free water quality report – This doesn’t take into account the contamination that might occur through the service line or house plumbing. While the use of lead in paint was much more common before 1940, since it wasn’t banned entirely until 1978, there could be contamination in homes up to that date.
Even city water that comes out of your tap can be contaminated with traces of organic and inorganic materials that can only be detected by accurate testing of samples, usually by a lab. Start with your local water supplier – some will come to your home and test for free. If that’s not an option, you can buy a lead testing kit from home improvement stores to collect the testing samples. Start with your local water supplier -- some will come to your home and test for free. If that's not an option, you can buy a lead testing kit from home improvement stores to collect the testing samples. Before you buy a water filter, always check its NSF certifications.
The same people that test the water can also sell you a water-filtration system, making it the only lead-testing option that comes with a built-in solution. If you find that your home has pipes that are made of metal that has an orangish color, they are made of copper and not a big concern. Home water plumbing systems that are made out of black, blueish, silver, or grayish pipes are the ones that most likely will contain lead. Use 3M Lead Check Swabs to quickly test solid surfaces for lead. 3M Lead Check Swabs are the only other lead testing product officially certified by the EPA. Like D-Lead Paint Test Kits, they're capable of detecting lead in paint, but can also be used on things like tools and children's toys that you might not expect to contain lead.
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