By Brian Cronin, Director of AquaMD

Tap water all over the country is showing up with toxic levels of lead contamination ... and it’s not going to go away on its own--or anytime soon. Here are a few stories reported in early 2004:

• SEATTLE, WA: In February, the city of Seattle began replacing the pipes in a number of its public schools. When parents had complained about orange-colored water coming out of school taps, testing was conducted and dangerous levels of lead and even cadmium were found in the drinking water.

• WASHINGTON D.C.: According to a February article in the Washington Post, about 23,000 of Washington D.C.’s service lines contain dangerous levels of lead. Samples taken at more than 4,000 homes since 2002 have found levels well above the safe range of 15 parts per billion. In fact, 150 homes in the area had lead levels in their tap water in excess of 300 parts per billion.

• MAUI, HAWAII: Even in beautiful Maui, high levels of lead were found in the water during testing. The state health department ordered the Maui water company to fix the problem, which they attempted to do by adding the chemicals zinc orthophosphate and phosphoric acid. Today, hundreds of skin rash complaints, which are believed to be linked to the water system, are being received by the health department.

These are just a few of the problems we know about. Lead and other metals commonly found in plumbing systems are a very real and dangerous problem that we face at work, at school and in the safety of our own homes.

Most lead contamination occurs within a home’s own water pipes. The older the home, the older the pipes. The older the pipes, the greater the chance that the metals found in pipe systems--namely lead, copper, zinc and iron--can leach into your water supply.

In homes built before 1930, water pipes were often made of lead. Homes built up until the mid-1990s may have plumbing systems connected with lead welding compound. The manufacture of lead-based materials was banned back in 1986, but could have been used for years after that, until the inventory ran out.

Your tap water’s pH can contribute to tap water contamination. The pH determines the acidity of your water. The optimum pH level is between 6.5 and 8.5. Tap water with a low pH indicates acidic water, which can result in corrosion and leaching of pipe material.

How to Protect Yourself Against Lead & Other Metal Poisoning

1. Flush Your Tap: Always run your tap water for a minute or two, until it is colder to the touch. This flushes out the water that is sitting in the pipes within your home.

2. Use Only Cold Water for Cooking & Drinking: Hot water dissolves lead faster than cold. Use only cold water to drink, cook, brush teeth, mix juices, wash food, and to make baby bottles, coffee or tea. If you need hot water, start with cold water and either boil it or heat it on the stove.

3. Test Your Tap Water Regularly: You are unable to detect even dangerous levels of lead and other metals in your tap water without testing. Relying on your sense of taste, smell and sight is like playing Russian roulette with your health. Conduct at least a basic test of your tap water at least one a year.