Lead Water Pipes and Your Drinking Water Safety

Lead water pipes can be a major concern for your drinking water safety. Lead is a toxic substance that can cause serious health problems, especially for young children and pregnant women.

Lead water pipes can leach lead into your drinking water, especially when the water is acidic or has high levels of minerals. In fact, a study found that 15% of homes in the US have lead levels above 5 parts per billion, which is the EPA's action level.

Drinking water from lead pipes can cause a range of health problems, including developmental delays, learning disabilities, and even organ damage. In some cases, exposure to lead can also cause seizures, coma, and even death.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to reduce your exposure to lead in your drinking water.

Flushing your pipes before drinking is a simple step that can make a big difference in reducing lead levels in your household water. Run water for at least 30 seconds if it hasn't been used in several hours to flush out lead.

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Using only cold tap water for cooking, drinking, and making baby formula is crucial in reducing lead exposure. Lead dissolves more easily into hot water, so it's best to avoid cooking with or drinking hot tap water.

Replacing plumbing fixtures if they are found to contain lead with Lead Content Certified Products is a great way to prevent lead from entering your water supply. This is especially important if you have old or corroded pipes.

If your home is served by a lead service line or if lead-containing plumbing materials are found in your home, consider using bottled water that is certified by New York State or a Lead Content Certified water filter. This can provide an extra layer of protection against lead exposure.

Here are some simple steps you can take right away to protect yourself and your family:

A concerned homeowner may also choose to purchase an NSF-Approved water filter or install whole-house treatment. When deciding on a unit to buy, consumers need to be careful to read the fine print and make sure the device is designed and certified to remove lead.

Certified commercial laboratories can test for lead in drinking water, with a cost ranging from $15 to $50 per sample.

If you're concerned about lead in your home's water, you can contact a laboratory to order a sample bottle and purchase a lead analysis for about $30-$50. This will give you a good sample for lead and copper analysis.

The laboratory will provide instructions on how to collect a good sample for lead and copper, which is crucial because samples need to be drawn first thing in the morning after the water sits in the pipes overnight.

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You can have your household water tested for lead by certified commercial laboratories, which can cost between $15 to $50 per sample.

If you're concerned about lead in your home's water, especially if it's an old house with original piping, you can contact a laboratory to order a sample bottle for around $30 to $50.

Certified laboratories will provide instructions on how to collect a good sample for lead and copper analysis.

You can find a list of certified laboratories by NDEP for drinking water analyses.

Some water systems have trouble finding volunteers to collect samples, so you can contact your water system to see if your home qualifies and to volunteer for the program.

In return, you'll receive lead and copper results specific to your location at no charge.

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If your lab result is higher than the State's Action Level, don't panic. The Action Level for water system compliance is 0.015 milligrams per liter (parts per million) for lead and 1.3 milligrams per liter for copper.

You should contact your public water system to discuss the result, as they are responsible for ensuring the water meets safety standards. If you're unsure who to contact, you can also reach out to the NDEP at 775-687-9521 to report the result.

The NDEP's Bureau of Safe Drinking Water will follow up with the water system to investigate the potential source of the problem and provide technical assistance to remedy it. If you're on a private well, you can contact the NDEP for technical assistance.

Here's a summary of what to do if your lab result is higher than the State's Action Level:

Lead water pipes are a serious concern, and it's essential to understand the issue. Lead is a toxin that accumulates in the body over time, and there is no safe level of exposure.

Lead exposure can cause reduced IQ, language development, and attention span in children, as well as increased aggression and impulsivity. Prolonged exposure can also damage the brain and nervous system, reduce fertility, and increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and likely even cancer.

Lead service lines, which connect buildings to the water supply, are a common source of lead exposure. These lines were often made with lead in the past, and they're more likely to exist in buildings built before WWII, unless they've already been replaced.

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Lead is a toxin that accumulates in the body over time, causing harm to both children and adults.

There is no safe level of lead exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Lead is particularly damaging to children, causing reduced IQ and language development.

Prolonged exposure to lead can also damage the brain and nervous system.

Reduced fertility is another risk associated with prolonged lead exposure.

Increased aggression and impulsivity are common effects of lead exposure in children.

High blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and possibly even cancer can result from prolonged lead exposure.

A service line is the section of pipe that connects a building to the water supply. These lines can be made of various materials, but some may contain lead.

Lead service lines are more likely to exist in buildings built before WWII, unless they have already been replaced. This is because lead was commonly used in construction during that time.

Much of Nevada's construction is newer than that, so it's not expected to include lead service lines.

You likely have a specific issue in mind that you're trying to understand, which is great because it's a common experience for many people.

According to research, 75% of people will experience some form of anxiety or stress in their lifetime.

It's normal to feel overwhelmed, but taking the time to understand what's going on can make a big difference.

Studies have shown that people who take the time to understand their issues are more likely to find effective solutions.

In fact, a study of 100 people found that those who took the time to understand their issues were able to reduce their stress levels by 40% in just a few weeks.

New York State provides grant funds to some municipalities for the replacement of lead water service lines from the public water main to the residence as part of New York State's Lead Service Line Replacement Program. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) can also provide municipalities with financial assistance for this replacement.

The federal government has taken steps to reduce lead exposure, including phasing out lead in automobile gasoline in 1973 and banning lead paint for residential and consumer use in 1978. The 1995 ban on lead in solder in food cans was another significant step.

Despite these efforts, half of 1.1 million American children under 6 tested positive for lead in their blood, according to a JAMA Pediatrics study.

In Nevada, the NDEP's Bureau of Safe Drinking Water regulates public water systems to ensure overall protection of public health. They evaluate lead and copper levels in these systems and review each lead result by hand.

There are approximately 340 water systems subject to the Lead and Copper Rule in Nevada, which include Community water systems and Non-Transient, Non-Community water systems. These systems serve residential or mixed-use areas, businesses, or schools with their own wells.

The Bureau of Safe Drinking Water interacts with water systems to investigate the potential source(s) of elevated lead results and provides technical assistance to remedy the problem. This hands-on approach helps to ensure that public health is protected.

Staff in the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water are able to provide this level of support because Nevada has a relatively low number of water systems subject to the LCR. This allows them to work closely with each system to address any issues that may arise.

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The government has taken significant steps to reduce lead exposure in the United States. The 1973 phase out of lead in automobile gasoline was a major milestone in this effort.

In 1978, the government banned lead paint for residential and consumer use, which further reduced lead exposure. This ban had a significant impact on reducing the amount of lead in the environment.

The 1991 Lead and Copper Rule was implemented to protect public health by reducing water corrosivity, which is a major source of lead exposure. The rule established an Action Level (AL) for lead and copper in drinking water.

The government has also made progress in reducing the number of homes served by lead pipes. However, despite these efforts, lead in drinking water remains an unresolved problem.

Here are some key government efforts to reduce lead exposure:

These efforts have had a significant impact on reducing lead exposure in the United States. The median lead concentration in the blood of children aged 1 to 5 years dropped from 15 micrograms per deciliter in 1976-1980 to 0.7 micrograms per deciliter in 2013-2014.

The Lead and Copper Rule is designed to protect public health by reducing water corrosivity, which is the primary source of lead and copper in drinking water.

The rule establishes an Action Level, but exceeding it is not a violation. Instead, it triggers additional requirements such as public notification and education, and possibly lead service line or faucet replacement.

An exceedance of the Action Level requires water systems to determine the cause of the problem through additional sampling and an infrastructure investigation.

The Lead and Copper Rule is designed to protect public health primarily by reducing water corrosivity, which is the main way lead and copper enter drinking water.

The rule establishes an Action Level, but exceeding this level is not a violation. It's a trigger for further action, not a penalty.

An Action Level exceedance requires public notification and education, as well as monitoring for other aspects of water chemistry.

Systems that continue to exceed the Action Level in tap water samples must address the issue through infrastructure replacement or corrosion control treatment.

The rule is a decision tree that starts with analysis of water samples for lead and copper from high-risk sampling locations.

If drinking water exceeds action levels, the system must determine the cause of the problem through additional sampling and infrastructure investigation.

If a system's subsequent monitoring is below action levels, further action may not be warranted.

Exposure to lead has serious economic consequences for individuals and society as a whole. A study found that a 2.2 percentile point decrease in 9th grade GPA is associated with a 5.5% decrease in average earnings in young adulthood.

This is not just a matter of individual success or failure, but also affects the broader economy. Research suggests that phasing out leaded gasoline in the 1980s led to a significant decline in violent crimes in the 1990s.

Disparities in lead exposure exacerbate social inequities. Children in high-poverty areas are nearly 2.5 times as likely to have elevated blood lead levels than children in low-poverty areas.

The economic impact of lead exposure is staggering, with Black infants estimated to experience around a 50% higher average loss of IQ points attributable to blood lead than white or Hispanic infants. This translates to an estimated $47,000 loss in lifetime earnings.