Lead In Your Home's Water
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Exactly what is lead?
Lead is a mineral which is found in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. It can be a serious health risk when too much of it enters the body.
How can I tell if my water has lead in it?
The best way to find out whether your water has lead in it is to have it tested. Contact your local health department, water utility, or a state certified testing laboratory to have your drinking water tested. Or you can call your local Culligan Man to arrange for a water quality analysis.
How does lead get into a home's water supply?
Lead rarely occurs naturally in water. Lead may not be in your drinking water, but if it is, it typically enters your water after it leaves your local treatment plant or well. Lead is dissolved in water by corrosion of lead pipe or lead-soldered pipe joints commonly found in the water distribution system. Studies have shown that we receive as much as 20 percent of our total lead in-take from drinking water.
Even if your home contains lead or lead-soldered plumbing, you are not necessarily at risk. Over time, mineral deposits may form a coating on the inside of pipes which can prevent water from contacting lead plumbing materials. This coating usually takes at least five years to form, and may not form at all. Lead plumbing materials have been identified as the primary source of lead contamination in drinking water today.
How can I tell what kind of pipes my home has?
If your home was built after 1986, it is unlikely that your home plumbing system contains any lead. In 1986, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the use of lead pipes and pipe fittings containing more than 8% lead, and the use of solder containing more than .2% lead. Before 1930, lead pipes were commonly used in home plumbing and in the connections between homes and the public water supply. Copper pipes were often joined with lead solder until this practice was prohibited in 1986.
How does lead affect people?
According to the EPA, everyone who ingests lead is susceptible to its effects because it accumulates in the body. At sufficient levels, lead can impair the reproductive and central nervous systems and may interfere with behavioral and emotional development.
In adults, lead can increase blood pressure and interfere with hearing. At high levels of exposure, lead can cause anemia, kidney damage and mental retardation.
Because of their size, children are at even great risk than adults. Lead can reduce childrens' IQ, causing them to become slow learners, and it can interfere with the formation of red blood cells. Lead can also delay the physical and mental development of babies and young children and impair the mental abilities of children in general.
How is lead in our drinking water regulated?
The United States EPA sets the standards for what is considered a safe exposure to lead in drinking water. Federal law requires municipal water utilities to monitor tap water lead levels in a percentage of the households they serve. Corrosion control treatment must be installed if more than 10% of these households have lead levels greater than the action level of 15 parts per billion. Utilities are required to replace lead service lines within the next 15 years if a problem persists. The EPA has established a maximum contaminant level goal of zero lead content. This is solely a health goal and is note enforceable on public water systems.
How can lead exposure be reduced?
One precaution is to flush the tap water each morning for about one minute, or until cold, to clear out lead that accumulates overnight. Use only cold water for drinking and cooking. Hot water is more likely to dissolve lead into the water than cold water and my contain more lead as a result.
Another precaution recommended by the EPA to reduce lead exposure is to buy or lease a home water treatment product or bottled water. Several types of products are available which can help reduce exposure to lead:
REVERSE OSMOSIS DRINKING WATER SYSTEM - Pressurized water is forced through a membrane filter to reduce dissolved materials. A reverse osmosis system typically consists of a particle filter to remove sediment, an activated carbon filter to reduce chlorine, the reverse osmosis membrane and a final activated carbon filter to freshen the taste of the water. The Culligan Aqua-Cleer series Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System reduces up to 98% of the lead in the water. It was the first reverse osmosis system certified for lead reduction by NSF International, the most highly regarded independent testing organization in the water treatment industry. In addition to lead, it is certified to reduce 10 other undesirable substances.
WATER SOFTENERS - Softeners use the process of ion exchange to reduce the lead content in water entering the home. If the source of lead contamination is in your home plumbing system, a water softener will not reduce tap water lead levels due to its placement within the system. Culligan offers a complete variety of water softeners to meet virtually every family's needs.
SPECIAL LEAD FILTERS - These filters are able to reduce lead levels in drinking water through the processes of adsorption and mechanical filtration. Culligan Drinking Water Filters use this advanced technology to reduce lead levels by up to 98%.
BOTTLED WATER - Still another option to help reduce your intake of lead is bottled water. Many consumers prefer bottled water for drinking and cooking because of its taste. LIcensed Culligan Bottled Water producers use reverse osmosis and deionization processes to produce bottled water.
DISTILLATION - In a distiller, water boils to steam, leaving lead & other materials behind. The steam is condensed on a cold surface and turned back into water. Although distillation is effective for lead reduction, it produces flat, tasteless water. The equipment needed is often cumbersome.
Sources of Information
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
WH-550 401 M St. SW
Washington, DC 20460
Water Quality Association
4151 Naperville Road
Lisle, IL 60532
National Sanitation Foundation
3475 Plymouth Rd, P.O. Box 1468
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
Find your Culligan Dealer now and ask about Culligan drinking water systems.
