How to test for lead in your home water supply
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The presence of protective scales or coatings inside the plumbing materials. In some cases, lead exposure can even cause comas, seizures, and even lead to death. Before September 2020, there have been a series of regulations to reduce the amount of lead in consumers’ water supply. The first legislation occurred in 1986 and was quickly changed when Congress revised the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Tap Score’s report gives you your actual readings, an explanation of what each individual reading means, and why it matters. Bang-for-the-Buck just lists your sample’s readings and the EPA’s limits in a black-and-white chart. All of the send-away-kit samples were immediately refrigerated after collection, again as best practice and per instructions. Just like the DIY kits, send-away kits come in multiple versions that test for different ranges and categories of contaminants. We again selected each manufacturer’s most comprehensive kit and wound up with a final group of five contenders.
Use a Home Lead Test Kit
Therefore, it is possible that there is lead in your home’s drinking water and that it is at higher levels than other homes in your area. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested. For general information about lead in household plumbing, visit Monitoring for Lead. EPA requires all community water systems to prepare and deliver an annual water quality report called aConsumer Confidence Report for their customers by July 1 of each year. Contact your water utility to request a copy of its latest report. A treatment technique is an enforceable procedure or level of technological performance which water systems must follow to ensure control of a contaminant.
On the other hand, there’re additional CO2 emissions contributing to climate change. Keep in mind, though, that factors like lead concentration and the presence of other contaminants can affect the removal process. Therefore, it is imperative to test your water even if you’re on well water and replace any lead elements if need be. It won’t help you determine the exact concentration of lead in your water. It will add additional cost, but at least you will have certainty.
How EPA Requires States and Public Water Systems to Protect Drinking Water
If they say that there is, the CDC recommends running your shower on cold for at least five minutes. Next, run your kitchen tap on cold for an additional two minutes. Fill clean containers with this water and use it for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and making baby formula.
Lead levels can be measured in increments of 0, 5, 15, 30, and 50 ppb, which is ideal. Results can take up to 5 days after the lab has received your sample. This DIY test kit quickly tells you if you have a lead problem—the number-one concern for many people. Recent advances in the potential applications of luminescence-based, SPR-based, and carbon-based biosensors.
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Around 15% of the homes with private wells in Buncombe County and the surrounding area are estimated to have acidic water . It is crucial that private drinking water is tested annually for adequate pH and is repaired or maintained as needed- especially for older homes with older plumbing materials. While these methods work, they do not offer a permanent solution.
Sediment, debris and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water. Regularly check your home for chipping, peeling, or deteriorating paint. Fix small areas of damaged paint as soon as possible without excessive sanding. If you must sand, sand the minimum area needed, wetting the area first, and clean up thoroughly.
DIY Lead Test Strips vs. Send-Away Kits
Because lead can get into all manner of drinking water sources, including municipal water supplies, it’s important to test for this contaminant if you haven’t already. You may be drinking tap water that contains low amounts of lead without even knowing it. Testing through the County Health Department is generally the best option for homeowners who do not have time constraints . County Health Departments have programs to help residents test through the State Laboratory .
If any of your samples test positive for lead, or if you have children under the age of 6, you should contact a professional to test for lead and advise you about removal or abatement. Exposure to lead is dangerous, so any control measures are best left to the pros. Many companies will offer free estimates to test your home and take precautions against lead contamination. Where a risk of lead exists, water companies treat the water with orthophosphate to reduce the problem significantly. None the less, particles of lead may build up in these older pipes and intermittently appear in tap water. Find your internal stop tap, where the water first comes into the property.
In that case, you might not have any lead piping in your own home, but lead is still getting into your tap water through your service line. That’s why it’s always best to get a sample of your water tested by a professional, especially if you have reasons to be concerned about your health. To perform a lead test, simply dip a testing strip into a water sample from your kitchen faucet and leave it for several seconds, as advised in the test kit instructions. You can compare your test results to the included color chart to see how high your lead levels are. We recommend running a professional test conducted in a certified laboratory. Some send-away lead water test kits also analyze your water for various other analytes, including contaminants (heavy metals, chemicals, etc.), physical water parameters, and impurities .
Disturbing or working on lead pipes can cause the concentration of lead in drinking water to temporarily increase. Flush the tap well for at least 10 minutes after carrying out any work on a lead pipe. Food and Drug Administration , bottled water must not have lead levels higher than 5 ppb.
The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and fixtures. Since you cannot see, taste or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. A list of certified laboratories is available from your state or local drinking water authority. Contact your water supplier as it may have useful information, including whether the service connector used in your home or area is made of lead. At-home water testing kits are a good option if you’re looking to get a basic understanding of your home’s water lead content, and they’re certainly convenient, taking just minutes to carry out.
If, after scratching, you see silver color the pipe has a lead structure. If you opt for a water brand’s testing facility, they may produce exaggerated results and convince you to buy their bottled water instead. This method generates accurate results because the procedures are all conducted according to the standards set by the EPA. Once found, call the lab and ask them for a water container to keep your sample and confirm the suitable quantity of water required to carry out this test. There are no obvious physical signs indicating lead in water.
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