What is lead?
Lead is a naturally occurring metal that is harmful if inhaled or swallowed. Lead can be found in air, soil, dust, food, and water.
How can I be exposed to lead?
The most common source of lead exposure is from lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in buildings built before 1978. Lead-based paints were banned for use in housing in 1978.
Although not the primary source of exposure, lead also can be found in older household plumbing.
Lead can also enter water through plumbing and fixtures in buildings:
- Interior lead pipes
- Interior galvanized pipes
- Interior copper pipes with lead-soldered joints
- Interior fixtures
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 10 to 20 percent of human exposure to lead may come from lead in drinking water. Infants who consume mostly mixed formula can receive 40 to 60 percent of their exposure to lead from drinking water.
What are the risks of lead exposure?
Lead can cause a variety of adverse health effects when people are exposed to it. These effects may include increases in the blood pressure of some adults, delays in normal physical and mental development in babies and young children, and deficits in the attention span, hearing, and learning abilities of children.
How can lead get into drinking water?
Lead is rarely found naturally in source water or in the treated water flowing through the distribution system. More commonly, lead leaches into water over time through corrosion—a dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and your plumbing. Lead can leach into water from pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets (brass), and fittings. The amount of lead in your water depends on the types and amounts of minerals in the water, how long the water stays in the pipes, the water’s corrosivity, and water temperature. Treatment of the water can reduce the amount of lead leached by reducing the corrosivity of the water and providing protection to the pipes.
In addition to managing water quality parameters such as pH, OMU’s system includes the use of phosphate in our water treatment process. Phosphate treatment prevents corrosion within the distribution system and minimizes the potential release of lead into the water.
How do I know if my drinking water has lead in it?
OMU’s Water Quality Team conducts testing at its Cavin Water Treatment Plant and within the distribution system. In addition, OMU works with customers throughout the system to conduct in-home testing. OMU has not encountered any elevated lead results (at or above the EPA action level of 10 ppb) from these tests. For more information about water quality, see OMU Water Quality Reports.
You can also have your water tested for lead. Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of determining whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. A list of certified laboratories is available from the Kentucky Division of Water.
Is my home at risk for lead plumbing?
The EPA defines high-risk homes as those with copper pipe and lead solder built after 1982 and before 1988 or with lead pipes.
In 1986, Congress enacted the “lead ban,” which stated that not only public water systems, but also anyone else who intends to install or repair drinking water plumbing connected to a public water system, must use “lead-free materials.” As a result, homes built in or after 1988 are far less likely to have lead solder.
I’m concerned my home may have lead plumbing. How can I find out?
If you are concerned your home plumbing may contain lead pipes (lead is a dull gray metal that is soft enough to be easily scratched with a house key) or if you see signs of corrosion (frequent leaks, rust-colored water), you may want to have your water tested by a state certified laboratory.
Testing is the only way to confirm if lead is present or absent. For more information on testing your water contact the Kentucky Division of Water.
Where can I find more information?
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the EPA have additional information available