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greasetrap_gw

Lead Levels in Drinking Water

greasetrap
8 years ago

I just had the treated water in my house tested for the first time (previously I had always had the raw water tested), and have a questions about lead in the water.

The lead test came back at 0.003 mg/L, which is well below the 0.015 limit set by the EPA. I'm still a bit concerned though, as I have a 5 year old daughter. Some of the articles I've read online say many experts consider 0.010 to be a better limit (I'm still within that), and some say the limit should actually be zero. The technician at the lab confirmed that this was a "total lead" test (as opposed to a "dissolved lead" test), and said the water should be safe for my daughter to drink. I'm still wondering though, whether or not I should replace some of my pipes.

As the likely source of the lead is from pre-1987 solder in the pipes, I should explain my house's plumbing. The main part of my house was built in 1960, and an addition containing the bedrooms was built in 1980. My principal well is 3 years old and there are new underground PVC pipes running from the well to the house. The first 15' or so of piping in the house is new as well. From there, there's maybe 20-25' of (cold water) 1960's pipe, and various lines then branch off to the kitchen, bathroom and the bedrooms.

The kitchen and bathroom in the main part of the house were both renovated after 1990, and had new pipes put in at that time. So my only concern in this part of the house is that stretch of 1960 pipes. My daughter also uses the bathroom in this part of the house, and doesn't usually drink from the faucet in the bathroom by the bedrooms.

The water for the test was drawn from the bathroom by the bedroom (which passes through a long stretch of 1980 pipes) after sitting for 12 hours, as this would probably be the highest lead levels found in the water. It would be impractical to replace the plumbing in the bedroom addition, or the hot water lines, but I'm considering having that 25' stretch of 1960 cold water pipes changed. That would ensure that the drinking water in the main part of the house is completely lead free.

Does this make sense, or am I being overly-paranoid? At the moment, we let the water run for a minute or two if it's been stagnant for a while. Also would lead at these levels likely cause a problem if the house were to be sold?

Thanks for your help.

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