The Effects of Lead in your Drinking Water….

Although there are many sources of lead in our industrialized society, water is probably the most readily controllable.  Our drinking water can contain significant amounts of lead, the result of corrosion of lead plumbing parts inside buildings and homes, or lead mains or service connectors.  As many as one in five Americans may be exposed to unsafe levels of lead in drinking water.  In fact, recent studies indicate that tap water may contribute up to 40 percent of total lead exposure.  Pregnant women, fetuses, young children (especially under the age of six), and middle-aged men and women are especially vulnerable to the health effects of lead.  Even very low doses of lead can have a negative effect because lead, unlike most other contaminants, is stored in our bones and released later into the bloodstream.  For this reason, even small amounts of lead can accumulate and become significant.

Before purchasing a newly constructed home or non-residential facility, check with town officials to see if an ordinance or plumbing code that bans the use of leaded materials is being enforced.  If not, get written assurance from the builder that only lead-free plumbing

materials were used in your new home.  If the home has been or will be connected to a public water system, ask to see the connection certification that must be provided to the water supplier.  A new home or building completed after January 6, 1991 must have such a certification before it can be connected to the public water system.

Although certification is not required for hookup to private wells, the Lead Ban applies to all plumbing applications, including individual homes and non-residential facilities that obtain their water from such sources.

Instruct the plumber, in writing, to use only lead-free materials for repairs or for newly installed plumbing.  Report any lead ban violations to DER. 
If you do your own plumbing work, be sure that you use only lead-free materials.

If you find leaded materials in your plumbing system, and the building was completed after January 6, 1991, contact the plumbing installer.  He may be required to replace the banned materials with lead-free materials at his own expense.  Installers also may be required to provide alternate, approved drinking water (bottled water) until the lead-bearing plumbing materials are replaced.

If you are uncertain whether lead-free plumbing materials were used, remove all strainers from the faucets and flush the system for at least 15 minutes. This will remove loose solder and flux debris from the plumbing.  Routinely check the strainers and remove any later accumulation of loose debris.  Because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, the only way to tell if there is lead contamination is by testing the water.  Contact your water supplier or DER for a list of reliable laboratories.

The common practice of grounding electrical equipment to water pipes may cause lead to dissolve into the water more rapidly.  Contact your local building inspector to see if an alternate grounding system is permitted under to local building code.  For safety, only a licensed electrician should install an alternate grounding system.

In July 1989, Pennsylvania passed The Plumbing System Lead Ban and Notification Act.  That law becomes  effective January 6, 1991 and applies only to plumbing construction or repairs completed after that date.  The purpose is similar in many respects to the 1986 amendments to the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act that requires the use of lead-free materials in the construction or repair of any public water system or any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facility connected to a public water system.

1.  PA's lead ban applies to all plumbing, not just plumbing used for drinking water.  Federal law applies only to plumbing systems providing potable water.

2.  PA's lead ban forbids the sale as well as the use of leaded solder, flux, pipe, or pipe fittings.  The products must be removed from the shelves.  The ban includes solid or acid core solders, such as 50-50 tin-lead solder and 85-15 tin-lead solder.

3.  PA's lead ban applies to all water users including individual homes and non-residential facilities which obtain their water from private wells.  Federal law  regulates only public water systems and their customers.

4.  PA's lead ban requires the builder to certify that all materials used in the construction of a plumbing system to be connected to a public water supply are lead-free.  A water supplier must refuse connection to any person who fails to provide such a certification, unless the local municipal plumbing code already prohibits the use of leaded materials.