Lead Drinking Water
This fact sheet answers frequently asked
questions about lead and health, how lead gets
into your drinking water, and what you can do to
protect yourself and your family from lead
exposure. Lead can be found in all parts of the
environment. Although it is naturally occurring,
most exposure comes from human activities.
Young children, infants, and pregnant women
are most vulnerable to the effects of lead and
precautions should be taken to minimize their
lead exposure.
HOW DOES LEAD GET IN MY DRINKING
WATER?
In Massachusetts, most drinking water sources
like reservoirs and groundwater are lead free.
When lead is present in water, it is typically due
to the water flowing through lead pipes or
plumbing in homes with lead parts or solder.
Service lines, which are the pipes that connect
your home to the water main, could have lead
in them. Inside your home, you may have lead
pipes, copper pipes connected with lead solder,
or brass faucets or fittings containing lead. Lead
levels are highest when the water has been
sitting in lead pipes for several hours. Hot water
causes lead to enter water faster.
HOW DOES LEAD GET INTO MY BODY?
In many cases, most exposure to lead is from
paint dust, paint chips, and soil contaminated
with lead. Lead can also get into your body by
drinking or cooking with water containing lead.
Young children absorb lead more easily than
adults, and lead can be passed from a mother
to her unborn child. For these reasons, lead in
drinking water can be an important source of
exposure for pregnant women, young children,
and infants that are fed powdered formula.
Lead is not absorbed through the skin. Bathing
or showering in water containing lead should be
safe.
Most children come into contact with lead by
being exposed to the paint in old homes. When
old paint that contains lead peels and cracks it
creates lead dust and chips. Home renovation
may also create significant amounts of lead
dust and must be done with caution. Lead dust
can be breathed in or get onto hands and toys.
Lead intake often occurs when children put their
hands and toys in their mouths.
Since everyone is exposed to small amounts of
lead in their daily life, it is not uncommon for a
low level of lead to be present in someone’s
body.
It is Massachusetts law that children be tested
for lead at ages 9-12 months, 2, 3, and
sometimes 4. Ask your doctor about testing
your child for lead and discuss the risks of lead
exposure.
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH | BUREAU OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Lead in Drinking Water FAQ
LEAD EXPOSURE QUICK FACTS
Overview
Infants, young children, and pregnant
women are especially vulnerable to the
harmful effects of lead exposure.
Most lead exposure results from lead paint
dust and chips.
Most public water sources are lead free in
Massachusetts, but lead can be in your
water due to lead pipes, solder, or old
fixtures.
What to do:
Talk with your child’s doctor about testing
your child for lead and about lead
exposures.
Learn if your home has lead paint or lead
plumbing/fixtures.
Use cold water for drinking and cooking.
Call your local water department to learn
about your home’s service line and testing
your water.
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HOW DOES LEAD MAKE YOU SICK?
Lead can affect your organs including harming
the brain, kidneys, and nervous system. The
developing brains of infants and young children
are at greatest risk. An exposure to lead that
would have little effect on an adult can have a
big effect on an infant or child. It is important to
reduce lead exposures as much as possible -
particularly for young children, pregnant
women, and infants - because there is no safe
level of lead exposure.
What is lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning is caused by too much lead in
the body. Most children who have lead
poisoning do not look or act sick. A lead test is
the only way to know if your child has lead
poisoning.
What if I’m pregnant or planning to become
pregnant?
Lead can pass from a mother to her developing
fetus. The most important risk factors for lead
exposure in pregnant women are workplace
exposures, recent immigration, a craving to eat
or mouth nonfood substances that might be
contaminated like soil or jewelry, a woman’s
nutritional status, her use of traditional home
remedies or imported cosmetics, and the use of
lead-glazed pottery for cooking or storing food.
Dust from old lead-based paint can also be an
important source of exposure for pregnant
women during the renovation of older homes.
Talk to your doctor to discuss the risks of lead
exposure and whether you should be tested for
lead.
WHAT CAN I DO RIGHT NOW TO PROTECT
MY FAMILY?
1. Run your water before using and use
COLD water.
Always use cold water for drinking and
cooking. Do not use hot water for cooking or
baby formula. Hot water usually has higher lead
levels than cold water.
Running the water before using will usually
reduce lead levels by flushing out the water that
has been sitting in lead pipes for several hours.
However, the amount of flushing needed
depends on whether or not you have a lead
service line. Contact your local water
department to find out if your service line
contains lead. For more information about
flushing your pipes and lead in service lines and
household plumbing, visit
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/w
ater/drinking/is-there-lead-in-my-tap-water.html.
Boiling water does not eliminate lead. If there is
lead in your water, boiling it will increase lead
levels.
You should also periodically unscrew the
aerator from the end of the faucet and clean out
debris. Sometimes small pieces of lead can
collect here.
2. Test your drinking water.
If you have lead in your service line or in pipes
inside your home or if you aren’t sure if you do,
consider testing your water. This is the best
way to find out if you have lead in your water.
Testing typically costs between $20 and $40
and should be done by a certified laboratory.
Water samples may be mailed or dropped off.
Be sure to follow the lab’s sample collection
instructions exactly.
The Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection (MassDEP) provides
a list of certified laboratories, which can be
found here:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/w
ater/drinking/certified-laboratories.html#1.
BABY FORMULA LEAD REDUCTION TIPS
When mixing powdered baby formula with tap
water:
1. Use COLD water.
2. DO NOT use hot water for baby formula –
boiling water does not eliminate lead.
3. Simply warm formula to serve.
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The EPA action level for lead in drinking water
– or the level regulators look for water to not
exceed – is 15 ppb (also reported as “15 µg/L”,
“0.015 ppm”, or “0.015 mg/L”); the goal,
however, is to have the lowest possible level of
lead in your drinking water, particularly where
young children or pregnant women may be
exposed.
Infants, children, and pregnant women are
especially vulnerable to the effects of lead
exposure. If you are a pregnant woman or have
young children drinking water with lead levels
exceeding EPA’s action level of 15 ppb, the
federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recommends you use bottled
water or water from a filtration system that has
been certified by an independent testing
organization to reduce or eliminate lead for
cooking, drinking, and baby formula
preparation. For more information about CDC’s
recommendation, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm.
If you have, or suspect you may have, a lead
service line to your home, you should have your
tap water tested for lead and use bottled water
or water from an appropriate filter that removes
lead for pregnant women, infants, and children.
3. Consider using a filter to reduce the level
of lead in your drinking water.
Not all filters will reduce lead and filters can be
expensive, requiring regular maintenance to
remain effective. A useful source of information
on filtering drinking water to remove lead and
on specific water filter products is NSF
International http://www.nsf.org/.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO PROTECT MY
FAMILY?
Test your home for lead.
Most children are poisoned from the lead paint
and dust in their homes. Hire a lead inspector to
test your home to find out if there are lead
hazards. For a list of licensed lead inspectors
go to
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/d
ph/programs/environmental-health/exposure-
topics/lead/delead/.
If you are a tenant, contact your local health
department or the DPH Childhood Lead
Poisoning Prevention Program (1-800-532-
9571) to have your dwelling inspected.
Test your child for lead.
A blood test is the only way to tell if your
child has lead poisoning. In Massachusetts,
children must be tested at ages 9-12 months, 2,
3, and sometimes 4 depending on where they
live. Talk to your doctor about your children’s
lead test results and discuss the risks of lead
exposure. If your child is not up to date on their
testing, or you have specific concerns about
your child’s health or exposure to lead, ask your
doctor to test your child for lead. A blood test
taken from the child’s vein is more accurate
than a sample taken from the child’s finger.
Replace lead pipes and plumbing containing
lead.
If you own your home, it is advised that you
consider replacing any leaded water pipes,
service lines, or fixtures, especially if there are
children or women of childbearing age present.
Contact your local water department about
service line replacement and financial incentive
and assistance programs that might be
available.
If you are replacing water pipes or fixtures
inside the home, be sure to check the label and
use only zero-lead or low-lead materials. Before
doing any home renovations, learn how to
renovate your home safely at:
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environm
ental/lead/renovate-safely-2015.pdf.
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WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?
For additional health information contact:
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Bureau of Environmental Health
Phone: 617-624-5757 | Fax: 617-624-5777 |
TTY: 617-624-5286
www.mass.gov/dph/environmental_health
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
1-800-532-9571 or www.mass.gov/dph/clppp
For additional drinking water information:
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection
Drinking Water Program
617-292-5770
Program.Director-DWP@state.ma.us
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/w
ater/drinking/lead-in-drinking-water.html
(and see the “Schools and Childcares” tab)
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection - list of state-certified laboratories for
drinking water testing at
(http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/w
ater/drinking/certified-laboratories.html#1 - click
on Find MassDEP-Certified Laboratories)
NSF International - nonprofit organization that
certifies bottled water and water filters at
http://www.nsf.org/
For additional lead safety information:
List of licensed lead inspectors at
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/d
ph/programs/environmental-health/exposure-
topics/lead/delead/
Renovate Your Home Safely fact sheet at
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environm
ental/lead/renovate-safely-2015.pdf
NOTE FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIERS:
This FAQ does not fulfill the notification or
education requirements of the Lead and Copper
Rule 310 CMR 22.06B. Public Water Systems
should contact MassDEP for specific Lead and
Copper Rule requirements of public water
systems to notify consumers of elevated lead
results.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Bureau of Environmental Health
250 Washington Street, 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-624-5757 | Fax: 617-624-5777 | TTY: 617-624-5286
www.mass.gov/dph/environmental_health
NOVEMBER 2016