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Consumer Factsheet on: LEAD
List of
Contaminants.
As part of the Drinking Water and Health pages, this fact
sheet is part of a larger publication: National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations.
This is a factsheet about a chemical that may be found in some public or
private drinking water supplies. It may cause health problems if found in
amounts greater than the health standard set by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
What is Lead and how is it used?
Lead is a metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements.
It is sometimes used in household plumbing materials or in water service lines
used to bring water from the main to the home.
Why is Lead being regulated?
In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law requires EPA
to determine safe levels of chemicals in drinking water which do or may cause
health problems. These non-enforceable levels, based solely on possible health
risks and exposure, are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals.
The MCLG for lead has been set at zero because EPA believes this level of
protection would not cause any of the potential health problems described
below.
Since lead contamination generally occurs from corrosion of household lead
pipes, it cannot be directly detected or removed by the water system. Instead,
EPA is requiring water systems to control the corrosiveness of their water if
the level of lead at home taps exceeds an Action Level.
The Action Level for lead has been set at 15 parts per billion (ppb) because
EPA believes, given present technology and resources, this is the lowest level
to which water systems can reasonably be required to control this contaminant
should it occur in drinking water at their customers home taps.
These drinking water standards and the regulations for ensuring these
standards are met, are called National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. All
public water supplies must abide by these regulations.
What are the health effects?
Short- and Long-term effects: Lead can cause a variety of adverse health
effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL for relatively
short periods of time. These effects may include interference with red blood
cell chemistry, delays in normal physical and mental development in babies and
young children, slight deficits in the attention span, hearing, and learning
abilities of children, and slight increases in the blood pressure of some
adults.
Long-term effects: Lead has the potential to cause the following effects
from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: stroke and kidney disease;
cancer.
How much Lead is produced and released to the environment?
Lead may occur in drinking water either by contamination of the source water
used by the water system, or by corrosion of lead plumbing or fixtures.
Corrosion of plumbing is by far the greatest cause for concern. All water is
corrosive to metal plumbing materials to some degree. Grounding of household
electrical systems to plumbing may also exacerbate corrosion. Over time,
lead-containing plumbing materials will usually develop a scale that minimizes
further corrosion of the pipe.
Lead is rarely found in source water, but lead mining and smelting
operations may be sources of contamination. Eighty eight percent of the lead
mined in the US comes from seven mines in the New Lead Belt in southeastern
Missouri. From 1987 to 1993, according to the Toxics Release Inventory lead
compound releases to land and water totaled nearly 144 million lbs. These
releases were primarily from lead and copper smelting industries. The largest
releases occurred in Missouri, Arizona and Montana. The largest direct releases
to water occurred in Ohio.
What happens to Lead when it is released to the environment?
When released to land, lead binds to soils and does not migrate to ground
water. In water, it binds to sediments. It does not accumulate in fish, but
does in some shellfish, such as mussels.
How will Lead be detected in and removed from my drinking water?
The regulation for lead became effective in 1992. Between 1993 and 1995, EPA
required your water supplier to collect water samples from household taps twice
a year and analyze them to find out if lead is present above 15 ppb in more
than 10 percent of all homes tested. If it is present above this level, the
system must continue to monitor this contaminant twice a year.
If contaminant levels are found to be consistently above the Action level,
your water supplier must take steps to reduce the amount of lead so that it is
consistently below that level. The following treatment methods have been
approved by EPA for controlling lead: Corrosion control.
How will I know if Lead is in my drinking water?
If the levels of lead exceed the Action Level, the system must notify the
public via newspapers, radio, TV and other means. Customers will be informed of
what they can do at home to lower their exposure to lead. Additional actions,
such as providing alternative drinking water supplies, may be required to
prevent serious risks to public health.
Drinking Water Standards:
MCLG: zero
Action level: 15 ppb
Lead Releases to Water and Land, 1987 to 1993 (in pounds):
|
Water |
Land |
TOTALS |
970,827 |
143,058,771 |
Top Twelve States * |
MO |
4,408 |
40,656,278
|
AZ |
771 |
23,240,625
|
MT |
0 |
20,822,517
|
UT |
4,600 |
11,881,000
|
TX |
1,988 |
11,515,211
|
OH |
127,990 |
5,196,522
|
IN |
62,894 |
4,851,940
|
TN |
7,140 |
2,095,489
|
IL |
26,601 |
1,930,000
|
WI |
1,310 |
1,350,960
|
MN |
0 |
1,313,895
|
NM |
0 |
1,060,880
|
Major Industries* |
Lead smelting, refining |
31,423 |
68,996,819
|
Copper smelting |
5,371 |
34,942,505
|
Steelworks, blast furn. |
379,849 |
18,149,696
|
Storage batteries |
0 |
1,867,292
|
China plumbing fixtures |
1,310 |
1,350,960
|
Iron foundries |
10,021 |
1,274,777
|
Copper mining |
0 |
1,240,000
|
* Water/Land totals only include facilities with releases greater than
100,000 lbs.
Learn more about your drinking water!
EPA strongly encourages people to learn more about their drinking water, and
to support local efforts to protect and upgrade the supply of safe drinking
water. Your water bill or telephone books government listings are a good
starting point.
Your local water supplier can give you a list of the chemicals they test for
in your water, as well as how your water is treated.
Your state Department of Health/Environment is also a valuable source of
information.
For help in locating these agencies or for information on drinking water in
general, call: EPAs Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791.
For additional information on the uses and releases of chemicals in your
state, contact the: Community Right-to-Know Hotline: (800) 424-9346.
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