Frequent Questions About Lead in Drinking Water

How Water Systems Control Lead

Why do water systems add phosphate to drinking water? What are the health effects of drinking water containing phosphates?

Public water systems (PWSs) commonly add phosphates to drinking water to prevent the release of metals in drinking water. Orthophosphate is most commonly used for lead and copper control. Polyphosphates sequester iron and manganese to prevent discolored water but are not effective to control lead and copper. Blended phosphates are a mix of orthophosphate and polyphosphate, which can potentially provide both sequestration and corrosion control.

Orthophosphate is available as phosphoric acid, in salt form (potassium or sodium) and as zinc orthophosphate. Orthophosphate reacts with lead and copper to form compounds that have a strong tendency to stay in solid form and not dissolve into water. The extent to which orthophosphate can control lead and copper release depends on the orthophosphate concentration, pH, DIC and the characteristics of the existing corrosion scale (e.g., whether it contains other metals such as iron or aluminum).

Question Number: 23002-32407

What is the water system doing about lead in drinking water?

In accordance with the Lead and Copper Rule, your water system is required to test water collected from a number of households in your community for levels of lead and copper. Depending upon the number of people served by your water system and the levels of lead and copper found in sampling, your water system may also be required to install corrosion control treatment. Corrosion control treatment means systems must make drinking water less corrosive to the materials it comes into contact with on its way to consumer’s taps. Public education for lead is also triggered when tap samples exceed the lead action level of 15 µg/L. If corrosion control treatment is not effective at reducing lead levels, your water system may be required to replace lead service lines, if present, that connect some households in your community to water mains.

Question Number: 23002-32386

Actions to Reduce Lead at Home

Does boiling water remove lead?

No, boiling water does not remove lead.

Question Number: 23002-32378

Will my filter remove lead?

Some filters can remove lead from drinking water. If you use a filter, be sure to get one that is tested and certified by an independent third party. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s directions to learn how to properly install and use your filter and when to replace it. Using a filter after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on how to identify filters certified to reduce lead, please see the Consumer Tool for Identifying Point-of-Use and Pitcher Filters Certified to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water fact sheet.

Question Number: 23002-32381

Is there anything else I can do beyond flushing my tap or buying bottled water?

Yes, find Important Steps You Can Take to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list is not intended to be exhaustive or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead from drinking water. EPA recommends you also contact your local water system and health department.

Question Number: 23002-32387

What home treatment devices are used to control lead in drinking water?

EPA has developed a consumer tool to identify point-of-use drinking water filters certified to reduce lead available at Consumer Tool for Identifying Point-of-Use and Pitcher Filters Certified to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water.

Question Number: 23002-32406

Testing Your Water & Understanding the Results

Can I get my water tested for lead?

Homes may have internal plumbing materials containing lead. 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 are available from your state or local drinking water authority or on EPA’s website at Contact Information for Certification Programs and Certified Laboratories for Drinking Water. Also, contact your water supplier as they may have useful information, including whether the service connector used in your home or area is made of lead.

You can learn more on our Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water website. You can also view and print a fact sheet on testing your home's drinking water (pdf).

Question Number: 23002-32382

How can I tell if my water contains lead?

To determine if your water has lead, have your water tested. Please see the answer to FQ 23002-32382 for more information on testing. Since you cannot see, taste or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether lead is present in your drinking water. Consider testing particularly if your home has lead pipes (lead is a dull gray metal that is soft enough to be easily scratched with a house key). For more information on how to identify plumbing materials, EPA has developed the Protect-Your-Tap: A Quick Check for Lead online step-by-step guide to help people identify lead pipes in their homes.

Question Number: 23002-32388

What do you mean when you say the action level has been exceeded for a drinking water system?

The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of the corrosion control treatment in water systems. The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. To check if corrosion control is working, EPA requires water systems to test for lead at the tap in certain homes, including those with lead service lines. Systems compare sample results from homes to EPA’s action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb). If 10 percent of the samples from these homes have water concentrations that are greater than the action level, then the system must perform actions such as public education and lead service line replacement.

Question Number: 23002-32403

I am looking at a water report for my public water system. Under the contaminant heading for lead and copper there is a column heading titled 90th percentile. What does this column mean?

The Consumer Confidence Report must include the 90th percentile concentration of the most recent round(s) of sampling for lead and copper. If the “90th percentile” level is above the action level, this is called an action level exceedance. The action level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment actions or other requirements which a water system must follow. The lead action level is exceeded if the concentration of lead in more than 10 percent of tap water samples is greater than 0.015 mg/L (i.e., if the"90th percentile" lead level is greater than 0.015 mg/L). The copper action level is exceeded if the concentration of copper in more than 10 percent of tap water samples is greater than 1.3 mg/L (i.e., if the"90th percentile" copper level is greater than 1.3 mg/L) (40 CFR Section 141.80(c)).

Question Number: 23002-32408

Is my water system required to provide me with the results when they test for lead?

Yes. Water systems must provide a water quality report (often referred to as consumer confidence report) every year to their consumers. This report must include the 90th percentile concentration of the most recent round(s) of sampling performed by the water system for lead and copper among households sampled by the system. The report must also include the number of the sampling program, then sites exceeding the action level, the range of tap sampling results, and information on how to access the results of all tap sampling. If your home is tested as part of your system’s lead tap water monitoring program, then the system is required to provide you with a notice of the results. If the samples do not exceed 0.015 mg/L of lead, the system must provide the results within 30 days of receiving them from the laboratory. If the samples exceed 0.015 mg/L of lead, the system must provide the results within 3 days.

Question Number: 23002-32390

My neighbors got their water tested and found lead. Is my water safe?

Lead usually gets into drinking water through contact with plumbing materials such as lead pipes or lead solder, or faucets, valves and fixtures made of brass (brass contains some lead). Since each home has different plumbing pipes and materials, test results are likely to be different for each home.

Question Number: 23002-32383

The drinking water I receive from a public water system has an unfamiliar odor and a slight discoloration. I am concerned that this is an indication of lead in my drinking water. What can I do to determine if lead is in my drinking water?

You cannot see, taste or smell lead in drinking water. To determine if lead is in your drinking water, contact your local water supplier and ask for a copy of your Consumer Confidence Report. This report lists the levels of contaminants that have been detected in the water, including lead, and whether the system meets state and EPA drinking water standards. The most recent Consumer Confidence Report can be obtained from your drinking water utility, by visiting their website or contacting them for a copy. Some public water systems upload their Consumer Confidence Report to EPA’s website at: Consumer Confidence Reports. Alternatively, you can contact a state certified laboratory to have your drinking water tested for lead. Contact your state certification officer to get a list of certified laboratories in your state or to find state certification visit the EPA’s Certification of Laboratories that Analyze Drinking Water Samples to Ensure Compliance with Regulations website.

Question Number: 23002-32385

How Lead Gets into Water & Exposure Basics

Is exposure to lead-contaminated drinking water from absorption through skin a health threat?

Human skin does not absorb lead in water. For more information visit: Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water.

Question Number: 23002-32377

How can lead get into my drinking water?

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and fixtures. In homes with lead pipes that connect the home to the water main, also known as lead services lines, these pipes are typically the most significant source of lead in the water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes built before 1986. Among homes without lead service lines, the most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and plumbing with lead solder.

Information about actions you can take to reduce lead in drinking water is available at Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water.

Question Number: 23002-32376

Should I be worried about lead contamination from the plumbing in a newly built home?

Plumbing in newer homes, especially those constructed after their state adopted the 1986 SDWA lead ban, should have plumbing materials that contain lower levels of lead than homes constructed prior to that date. EPA has provided a table with dates by which each state adopted the 1986 SDWA lead ban as an appendix to our Guidance for Developing and Maintaining a Service Line Inventory, which can be downloaded here: Revised Lead and Copper Rule.

Question Number: 23002-32375

Why can’t I use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking or making baby formula?

Hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water and is therefore more likely to contain greater amounts of lead. Never use water from the hot water tap for drinking, cooking or making baby formula.

Question Number: 23002-32380

Laws & Restrictions (Safe Drinking Water Act & Lead Ban)

How does the Safe Drinking Water Act limit lead in pipes, plumbing fittings, fixtures, faucets, solder and flux?

Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) establishes the definition for “lead-free” as a weighted average of 0.25% lead calculated across the wetted surfaces of a pipe, pipe fitting, plumbing fitting, and fixture and 0.2% lead for solder and flux. The Act also provides a methodology for calculating the weighted average of wetted surfaces.

The Act prohibits the “use of any pipe, any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux, after June 1986, in the installation or repair of (i) any public water system; or (ii) any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facility providing water for human consumption, that is not lead free.”

Additionally, there is a prohibition on introducing a pipe, any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux that is not lead-free into commerce, unless the use is for manufacturing or industrial purposes.

The SDWA includes several exemptions from the lead-free requirements, specifically for plumbing devices that are used exclusively for non-potable services, as well as a list of specific products: toilets, bidets, urinals, fill valves, flushometer valves, fire hydrants, tub fillers, shower valves, service saddles, or water distribution main gate valves that are 2 inches in diameter or larger. For more information, please visit EPA's website for more information about the lead-free requirements of the SDWA.

Question Number: 23002-32393

Can one still sell lead solder under the Lead Ban?

Section 1417(a)(3) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) prohibits the sale of solder and flux that is not lead-free unless the solder or flux bears a prominent label stating that it is illegal to use the solder or flux in the installation or repair of any plumbing providing water for human consumption.

Question Number: 23002-32395

Monitoring, Sampling & Public Education Requirements

Is there a guidance document that outlines sampling techniques for testing lead in public drinking water systems?

Sampling techniques for testing lead in drinking water are outlined in EPA's approved methods for compliance monitoring of lead in drinking water. In addition, EPA has several guidance documents associated with Lead and Copper Rule water quality and tap monitoring on our website here: Lead and Copper Rule Implementation Tools. This guidance does not contain the sampling protocol revisions that were introduced in the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions nor any potential revisions that may occur under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

Question Number: 23002-32402

Are non-transient, non-community water systems (NTNCWSs) required to monitor for lead and copper?

All community water systems (CWSs) and NTNCWSs must collect lead and copper tap samples. The frequency of the monitoring and number of samples to be collected and analyzed is based primarily on the number of people served and tap water monitoring results. For an outline of monitoring requirements (e.g., number of samples) consult the Revised Lead and Copper Monitoring and Reporting Guidance for Public Water Systems, located here: Lead and Copper Rule Implementation Tools.

Question Number: 23002-32401

A water system is on reduced monitoring for lead and copper. If this system adds new or revised treatment, must the system resume lead and copper sampling as a new system?

The state may require a system to resume sampling and collect the number of samples specified for standard monitoring or take other appropriate steps such as increased water quality parameter monitoring or re-evaluation of its corrosion control treatment (40 CFR 141.86(d)(4)(vii)).

Question Number: 23002-32405

What are the public education requirements for non-transient, non-community water systems (NTNCWSs) that have exceeded the lead action level?

When there is a lead action level exceedance, non-transient, non-community water systems (NTNCWSs) must post informational posters on lead in drinking water in public places or common areas in buildings they serve. NTNCWSs must also distribute informational pamphlets and/or brochures on lead in drinking water to each person they serve. These materials must include information on the health effects of lead, sources of lead, steps consumers can take to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water, why there are elevated levels of lead in the system’s drinking water and what the system is doing to reduce lead levels, who to contact for more information, and information on lead service lines if the system has any. NTNCWSs must carry out these public education requirements within 60 days after the end of the tap sampling period in which the exceedance occurred. NTNCWSs that exceed the action level must conduct public education in accordance with the requirements in 40 CFR 141.85.

Question Number: 23002-32404

Learn More

Where can I get more information on lead in drinking water?

For more information, find basic information about lead in drinking water or contact us about ground water and drinking water. You may also contact by email at safewater@epa.gov. Your state or local public health department will also be able to provide information about lead.

Question Number: 23002-32409