Health Corner

Your drinking water comes from the tap, it’s gotta be ok, right? You have town water, it's clear, doesn’t smell strange, so nothing is wrong with it, right? You have had your well checked and have a top-notch filtration system, it’s just fine, right? Hey, you pay enough for water and sewer, so it better be fabulous! Wrong! There could still be dangerous amounts of lead in your drinking water. You cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water. So how do you know if it’s there? Or if you are even at risk?

Here is some information to sip on. The most common sources that could put you and your family at risk of ingesting lead via drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and plumbing fixtures. Over the last two decades, exposure to lead in drinking water has greatly decreased thanks to legislation updates. While that affects the larger distribution processes of water, homes can still have lead in the pipes and service lines that connect to larger water lines. Affected plumbing fixtures not intended for drinking water like spigots and hand washing sinks experience a chemical reaction called corrosion. During this is when lead is brought out of the piping and into the water.

Risk factors vary greatly. Lead is not absorbed through skin, so ingestion is the primary way that it enters the body. With that in mind, the larger quantity of water consumed compared to body size is critical to why children are more negatively affected. For example, if an infant's formula is made with affected tap water, they are ingesting greater amounts for their body size, compared to an adult who drinks a few glasses of the same water. Lead accumulates or builds up in the body over time, and its negative effects will likely not be seen right away.

What can you do? Identify the source. Have your drinking water tested by a certified laboratory or ask your town for testing results. Your town will know if there are any lead service lines remaining as well. Have the plumbing and faucets in your home tested for lead by a licensed inspector. Use a certified water filtration system in your home. It should state NSF/ANSI standard 53 on the packaging. Or use bottled water when possible. Cold water from the tap should be used for drinking and cooking. Warm or hot water from the tap can contain higher levels of lead and cannot be “boiled off”.

The health of your family and children is one of the most important things. Exposure to lead is very preventable. Ask questions of your medical provider and town about lead. Have testing completed in your home and water. Check recall lists for items you may have in your home. Most importantly, have your children’s blood lead level checked at 12 and 24 months of age to catch any exposure early before it negatively affects their growth and development and so the exposure source can be identified and eliminated!