How to Test for Lead Contamination in Water
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Tests for Lead Contamination in Water
Lead contamination from water service mains?
Lead contamination from lead pipes in buildings
Lead contamination limits in drinking water
How lead test results are affected by the water test procedure used
When to test water for lead contamination
Questions & answers about testing well water or drinking water for lead contamination
Water tests for lead contamination: what drinking water contamination tests should you order? This article explains the general classes of water contaminants covered in a water test for lead.
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There are several possible sources of lead in drinking water, including lead in ground water, lead contamination
from municipal water piping, lead contamination from building water supply piping or fixtures, well contamination by lead from surface
contamination due to lead paint chips, and insignificant lead contamination from lead in well pumps or faucet parts.
This website describes the types of water testing available, outlines common water test fees,
describes the details of what parameters are included in various water test options, and gives
advice to assist you in deciding what tests to order. For help tracking down sources of lead contamination in & around homes see LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE.
Lead Contamination from Water Supply Lines/Entry Mains, Lead Testing & Correcting Contamination from - Lead Pipe Problems/Advice
Depending on the duration and extent of lead-water contact, lead can enter the water supply if lead is present in supply piping or fixtures. Common sources
of lead in water supply piping include older lead-bearing solder used on copper pipes, possible lead content in brass piping or fixtures, lead water
supply piping (rare), and lead water supply entry main between a building and the public water main in the street (common in some areas).
Health hazards from lead content in water
Recently there was also a flurry of concern about lead contributed by brass in private well pumps. However the testing methods used for this latter topic misrepresented an exaggerated and frankly dubious risk. Finally, it is
possible for lead to be found in private well water if lead contaminants have entered the local aquifer.
Action Level for Lead in Water - allowable lead limits
New York State Department of Health has set an action level of 0.015 mg/L of lead in a sample of water drawn from a tap used for drinking water after a
6-hour period of no water use.
Variations in Lead Level vs. Testing Methods
Lead levels will usually be quite high in water which has sat overnight in a lead line from street main to house.
Most lab tests indicate low lead levels in water from such lines after the test fixture has run until all standing water in the piping has been flushed
out with fresh from the municipal supply mains in the street.
There are ambiguities in instructions offered by some municipalities about how to obtain a water sample for lead testing. The particulars of how the water sample is taken can make a big difference in the lead level obtained. Our photo (below) shows how to recognize lead water supply piping between a building water shutoff valve (or water meter) and the water supply mains in the street. The author is pointing to the wide lead wipe joint connecting the lead water pipe to the bronze bottom of the water shutoff valve.
The very first draw of lead test water from a faucet or plumbing fixture is measuring lead contributed by any lead-containing brass which is present in some faucets.
"First draw" taken after a moment of flushing out the faucet to test for lead is taking water from the pipes near the fixture. Depending on pipe material and length, considerably more water might have to be taken before observing the water sample exposed to most lead uptake.
First cold water after a night of no usage when testing for lead is likely to provide water that was sitting in the entry main from street to house. If this line is lead, the lead content of this sample will be quite high. Alternatively, if all piping were visible between the test fixture and water meter (rarely the case) one could calculate the volume of water necessary to flush to obtain a sample from the line to the street.
A water sample taken after running the water for several minutes when performing a lead in water test (depending on length of piping in the house from street to fixture) is sampling the quality of water provided by the municipality. Some city plumbing officials have expressed the opinion that lead oxide build-up in pipes insulates against significant lead levels in water actively running through such lines.
Most local building codes do not require removal of lead, for example, the City of Poughkeepsie Building Codes do not require removal of residential lead supply lines (house to street). However eventually (usually after 40-60 years) these lines corrode, leak, and have to be replaced. Replacing the main supply from street to the water meter, when required, could involve significant expense.
People with concerns for the amount of lead in water should consult the local health department and should have their water tested for lead. Typical lab fees are $20. to $25. per sample plus the cost of hiring an independent consultant to collect and handle the water sample if you don't do it yourself.
Even if you are not concerned with testing for lead in water it would be wise to reduce possible lead intake by flushing any lead-containing piping before drinking such water. In addition, lead-in-water removal equipment is available from water treatment companies.
If you need to calculate the amount of water to run out of piping to be sure you are obtaining water from the street, that is, the volume of gallons of water inside of water piping, you need to know simply the length and diameter of water piping between the faucet where the water test is to be taken and the location whose water you want to test.
For example, let's say the water contained overnight in the water main in your street is what we want to test.
1/2" internal diameter water piping contains about 0.01 gallons per linear foot;
3/4" ID piping contains about 0.02 gallons per linear foot, and
1" water piping contains about 0.04 gallons per linear foot.
Just measure or estimate the number of linear feet of water piping of each diameter to perform this calculation.
Alternative worst-case lead in water test procedure
If we run water at a building tap until the water temperature first feels cold and immediately collect our water sample, we are most likely collecting and testing water that has been sitting in the water service piping between the building and the street water main.
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Home Test Kit for Lead review of the performance of an inexpensive test kit for lead in water, sold in building supply stores and at other sources - kits are sold for both lead on surfaces and lead in water.
Ohio State University article on the concentration of chlorine necessary to act as an effective disinfectant, and the effects of the water's pH and temperature: See http://ohioline.osu.edu/b795/b795_7.html for details.
Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, and Survival?--A Scientific Detective Story, Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, John Peter Meyers. Plume-Penguin Publishing, 1997, ISBN 0-452-27414-1., ISBN13: 9780452274143. This book is a seminal work on endocrine disruptors (chemical contaminants having impact at extremely low levels in the environment).
Recommended by Daniel Friedman, this book is a critical update to the landmark Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and discusses the effects of minute trace amounts of chemical contaminants in the environment. The text "Identifies the various ways in which chemical pollutants in the environment are disrupting human reproductive patterns and causing such problems as birth defects, sexual abnormalities, and reproductive failure. Reprint. Tour. NYT."
Amazon.com Review: By O T (Ontario, BC) - 'Our Stolen Future' is a great introduction to one of the most important scientific discoveries in our time. Having recently completed a thesis project at university on Endocrine Disruptors, I have reviewed hundreds of papers on the subject. This book is a good clear overview of the scientific literature on EDs. The authors are experts - Theo Colborn is largely responsible for creating the field by bringing together diverse researchers so they could see the big picture of their work. Many of the principle investigators are interviewed and quoted at length on the way chemicals participate in and interfere with delicate hormonal systems in animals (including humans). The major accomplishment of the book is to make an easy-to-follow story out of complex research. Many resources are available to help you assess the reliability of this story, and the best thing to do if you have any doubts is read review articles in scientific journals (which are easier to understand than technical papers). The Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) have a guidebook for health-care professionals on Endocrine Disruptors, and the US EPA has many reports on the matter. Beware of people or websites who try to 'debunk' this book (or the science behind it) by simply declaring it false, flawed or disproven. There is far too much supporting research for so simple a refutation.
OPINION: Significant and discussed in this book is the observation that at certain critical points in the development of animals, presumably including humans, exposure to extremely low levels of endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC's) (such as BPA - Bisphenol-A or BPA, Diethylstilbestrol - DES, dioxins, PCBs, and chemicals used in the production of certain cleansers, dyes, flame retardants, plastics, pesticides, white papers ) perhaps just a few molecules, or in the parts per trillion, is sufficient to cause disruption of the animal's development, including proper sex differentiation, or the lack of it that produced androgynous ducks unable to reproduce under such conditions.
A endocrine disruptor is a synthetic chemical compound that mimics natural hormones when it is taken into the body of a human or other animal. It "disrupts" the endocrine system by turning on or off normal chemical signals that in turn can affect normal hormone levels, bodily functions, and significantly, the development of embryos. Further, unlike naturally occurring hormones ingested, for example from plants (phytoestrogens), synthetically-generated hormones accumulate in the body and can have a half-life of decades or longer.
One significance of this finding includes the observation that an important medical effect that occurs with exposure to chemicals in extremely low concentrations means that experiments to test for correlations between chemical exposure and subsequent serious medical problems will be deeply flawed if, for example, the experimental design does not include testing for the presence of the chemical at extremely low levels. A related concern is that even if harmful effects from exposure to extremely low concentrations of an endocrine disruptor are occurring, teasing out and proving that relationship can be also extremely difficult.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals.
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How to Test for Lead Contamination in Water
