LEAD

Typically, lead gets into your water after the water leaves your local treatment plant or your well. That is, the source of lead in your home's water is most likely pipe or solder in your home's own plumbing.

Lead is a very toxic metal, and causes serious cumulative damage to the brain, organs and blood cells over time. On average, it is estimated that lead in drinking water contributes between 10 and 20 percent of total lead exposure in young children. Infants, whose diet consists of liquids made with water - such as baby formula, are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.

You cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether or not there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. Generally, water that is first drawn, after sitting for several hours in piping that contains lead, is much higher in lead, than after the pipes have been flushed. For this reason, when one is testing for lead, the water should be allowed to sit in the pipes over night, so a first draw, or worst case scenario can be determined.

Testing is especially important in high-rise buildings where flushing might not work. You should be particularly suspicious if your home has lead pipes (lead is a dull gray metal that is soft enough to be easily scratched with a house key'), if you see signs of corrosion (frequent leaks, rust-colored water, stained dishes or laundry, or if your non-plastic plumbing is less than five years old.

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